SUSTAIN!  D  HONOR 


PACKENUAX    FELL,  BLEEDING    AND   DYING,  INTO    THE   AltMS   OF   SIB   DUNCAN 
M'lMH-GAI.L. 


SUSTAINED  HONOR 


A  STORY  OF  THE  WAR  OF  1812 


BY 

JOHN  R.  MUSICK 

AUTHOR  OF  "COLUMBIA,"  "ESTEVAN,"  "ST.  AUGUSTINE," 
"POCAHONTAS,"  "THE  PILGRIMS."  ETC.,  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED   BY   F.    A.    CARTER 


¥orfc 

FUNK   &   WAGNALLS   COMPANY 
LONDON  AND  TORONTO 

1893 
Printed  in  the   United  State* 


COPYRIGHT,  1893,  BY  THE 
FUNK  &  WAGNALLS   COMPANY 


[Registered  at  Stationers'1  Hall,  London,  Eng.] 


PREFACE. 


WRITTEN  history  is  generally  too  scholastic  to  in- 
terest the  great  mass  of  readers.  Dignified  and 
formal,  it  deals  mainly  with  great  events,  and 
often  imperfectly  with  these,  because,  not  pausing 
to  present  clear  impression  by  the  associations  of 
individual  life,  it  conveys  a  stiff  and  unnatural 
opinion  of  the  past.  Historians  ignore  the  details 
which  go  to  make  up  the  grand  sum  total  of  history, 
and  from  the  very  best  histories  one  can  get  but  a 
meagre  idea  of  the  life  and  times  of  the  people  of 
bygone  ages.  It  is  these  minor  details  of  past 
events  which  lend  to  fiction  its  greatest  charm,  and 
attract  the  multitude,  by  appearing  more  like  truth. 
Although  untrue  in  the  particular  combinations, 
scenes  and  plots  delineated,  yet  well  written 
fiction  is  drawn  from  nature  and  experience, 
and  these  facts  in  life,  as  with  chessmen,  are  only 
arranged  in  new  but  natural  positions.  History 
should  include  everything  in  the  nature,  char- 
acter, customs  and  incidents,  both  general  and 
individual,  that  contribute  to  originate  what  is 

iii 


2137310 


iv  PREFACE. 

peculiar  in  a  people,  or  what  causes  their  advance- 
ment or  decline.  So  broad  is  its  scope,  that  nothing 
is  too  mighty  for  its  grasp — so  searching,  scarce 
anything  is  too  minute.  Were  written  history  a 
clear  transcript  of  valuable  incidents,  it  would  be 
more  enticing  than  the  most  fascinating  fiction. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  this  volume  to  deal  with 
some  of  the  remote  and  direct  causes  of  the  second 
war  with  England,  by  endeavoring,  as  nearly  as 
our  ability  will  permit,  to  transport  the  reader  back 
to  the  scenes  of  eighty  or  ninety  years  ago,  and 
give  views  of  the  incidents  which  clustered  around 
the  events  of  that  time. 

The  war  of  1812  has  been  properly  termed  by 
some  historians  the  second  war  for  independence ; 
for,  in  truth,  the  independence  of  the  United  States 
of  America  was  not  established  until  after  that 
event.  Great  Britain  across  the  ocean  and  the 
horde  of  Tories  still  in  America  had  not  abandoned 
all  hope  of  yet  making  the  United  States  a  de- 
pendency of  the  country  from  which  she  had 
fought  seven  long  years  .to  free  herself.  The  war 
of  1812  was  never  fought  to  a  finish.  In  some 
respects  it  was  a  drawn  fight.  Its  results  were  not 
satisfactory  to  the  patriotic  American,  and  certainly 
were  not  to  Great  Britain.  The  contemptible 
"  Peace  Faction"  continually  crippled  the  adminis- 
tration all  through  the  contest  of  nearly  three  years. 


PREFACE.  v 

After  studying  the  patriotism  of  New  England 
through  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  one  is  surprised 
at  the  unpatriotic  actions  of  that  section  of  the 
United  States  in  1812.  One  can  hardly  believe 
that  it  was  party  fealty  and  political  hatred  of  the 
democratic  party  alone  which  made  these  formerly 
patriotic  colonies  and  States  hot-beds  of  sedition 
and  treason.  It  looks  as  if  those  States,  having 
built  up  a  flourishing  trade  with  Great  Britain, 
cared  little  about  the  impressment  of  sailors,  or  the 
enslaving  of  their  countrymen,  so  long  as  they 
filled  their  own  pockets.  The  men  seized  were 
usually  poor,  and  their  happiness,  liberty  and  life 
were  lightly  regarded  in  comparison  with  the  pros- 
perity of  the  "  Peace  Party"  merchant.  If  patriot- 
ism were  dormant  in  the  East,  however,  in  the 
growing  West,  and  the  generous  South  it  was 
strong.  From  those  sections  came  the  hardy  sons 
of  liberty,  who  taught  Johnny  Bull  anew  to  respect 
the  rights  of  the  common  people.  Though  the 
treaty  of  peace  was  not  satisfactory  in  many  par- 
ticulars, it  more  clearly  defined  the  lines  between 
the  United  States  and  British  possessions  in  Amer- 
ica, leaving  the  fishery  question  and  the  right  to 
search  and  impressment  in  an  unsettled  condition, 
giving  the  "  Peace  Party"  an  opportunity  to  say, 
"  I  told  you  so. " 

An  attempt  is  made  in  this  story  to  cover  the 


vi  PREFACE. 

whole  period  of  the  war  and  the  causes  leading  up 
to  it,  treating  it  from  the  standpoint  of  an  individ- 
ual of  the  time.  The  pioneers  of  seventy -five 
years  ago  were  a  hardy  race,  long  since  disap- 
peared. We  hope  that  from  Fernando  Stevens, 
the  hero  of  this  volume,  the  reader  may  derive 
some  idea  of  pioneer  life  as  it  then  was.  Fernando 
Stevens  was  a  namesake  of  the  cabin-boy  of  Chris- 
topher Columbus  on  his  first  voyage  to  America, 
Hernando  Estevan,  of  whom  he  was  a  lineal  de- 
scendant. The  hero  of  this  volume  was  a  son  of 
Albert  Stevens,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  was 
a  son  of  Colonel  Noah  Stevens,  of  the  French  and 
Indian  War,  who  was  a  son  of  Elmer  Stevens  of 
early  Virginia  history,  a  son  of  Robert  Stevens  of 
the  time  of  Bacon's  Rebellion.  He  was  a  son 
of  John  Smith  Stevens,  of  the  early  Virginia  his- 
tory, who  was  the  son  of  Philip  Stevens,  or  Philip 
"Estevan,  the  young  Spaniard  who  was  the  personal 
friend  of  Captain  John  Smith  and  helped  lay  the 
foundation  of  Jamestown.  He  was  a  son  of  Fran- 
cisco Estevan  of  St.  Augustine,  who  was  a  son  of 
Christopher  Estevan  of  Cuba,  a  companion  of  Pi- 
zarro  and  De  Soto,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Hernando 
Estevan,  who  went  as  cabin-boy  with  Columbus 
on  his  memorable  first  voyage  in  which  he  discov- 
ered the  Western  Hemisphere. 

This   scion  of  a  long  line  of   stalwart  but  not 


PREFACE.  vii 

famous  ancestors  is  the  one  whose  adventures  we 
now  narrate.  Like  his  ancestors,  he  was  only  one 
of  the  rank  and  file  of  Americans,  whose  names 
are  seldom  seen  in  print,  but  who,  after  all,  go  to 
make  up  the  true  history  of  our  glorious  republic. 
Fernando's  adventures,  with  those  of  Morgianna, 
the  mysterious  waif  of  the  sea,  form  the  romance 
of  this  story. 

JOHN  R.  MUSICK. 
KTRKSVILLE,  Mo.,  July  llth,  1893. 


TABLE    OF   CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

THE  YOUNG  EMIGRANT, 1 

CHAPTER  II. 

MORGIANNA, 23 

CHAPTER  III. 
JEFFERSONIANISM, 46 

CHAPTER  IV. 
BRITISH  CRUISERS, 61 

CHAPTER  V. 

FERNANDO 's  JOURNEY  EAST.    HE  MEETS  WITH  QUEER 
PEOPLE .89 

CHAPTER  VI. 

WAR  FEELING  OF  1811,        .  .113 

CHAPTER  VII. 
FERNANDA'S  FRIEND  GETS  HIM  INTO  A  SERIOUS  SCRAPE,     131 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
THE  BELLE  OF  THE  BEACH,          .  ...     154 

CHAPTER  IX. 
THE  ENGLISHMAN'S  DILEMMA,      .  174 


x  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  X. 
THE  SILENT  GUNNER, 201 

CHAPTER  XI. 
SHIPWRECK,  ESCAPE  AND  RETURN  TO  OHIO,  .  .  226 

CHAPTER  XII. 

WAR, 242 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  PEACE  PARTY, 262 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

FERNANDO  SEES  SERVICE,  ...  .    285 

CHAPTER  XV. 

ON  LAND .    313 

•  CHAPTER  XVI. 

ON  WATER,  . 332 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  CRUISER'S  THREAT,      .  .        .        .        .347 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  SAVING  SHOT .372 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

NEW  ORLEANS, ."      .        .    397 

CHAPTER  XX. 
CONCLUSION,  420 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Packenham  fell  bleeding  and  dying  in  the 
arms  of  Sir  Duncan  McDougal  (see 
page  415) , (Frontispiece) 

Emigrants'  wagon  crossing  a  stream,  ....  1 
They  took  a  last  look  at  the  spots  which  were  hallowed 

by  association, 4 

Morgianna, .     31 

Carried  the  ship  by  the  board  after  a  terrible  hand-to- 
hand  conflict 57 

Stephen  Decatur 57 

"  Do  you  think  dar  is  any  Angler- Saxun  blood  in  dese 

veins?" 87 

Fulton's  Clermont,  the  first  steamboat,  .  .  .96 
As  near  perfection  as  a  girl  of  sixteen  can  be,  .  .111 
That  smile  and  that  eternal  stare  disconcerted  the 

British  officer 153 

"  You  surrender  easily, ".         .  ....   172 

He  sat  down  on  a  broken  mast, 198 

The  boatswain's  mate  brought  the  terrible  scourge  hiss- 
ing and  crackling  on  the  young  and  tender 

back, 213 

He  saw  Captain  Bones  and  his  lieutenant  trying  to  hide 

behind  a  barrel,  289 

It  soon  became  evident  that  he  did  not  intend  to  drown 

her,     .        .        .        .        .        .      - .   '    .        .  257 

xi 


xii  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Henry  Clay 271 

John  C.  Calhoun 272 

"Lave  it  all  to  me," 273 

James  Madison 307 

Tecumseh, 314 

"  My  brave  Kentucky  lads,  to  us  is  accorded  the  honor 

of  winning  this  battle.     Forward !"          .        .  318 
They  came  together  in  an  earnest  struggle,  .        .         .  327 
"My  father  will  protect  me;  I  want  no  other  protec- 
tion,"           367 

Sukey's  thumb  lifted  the  hammer  of  his  gun,        .         .  399 


SUSTAINED  HONOR. 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE   YOUNG   EMIGRANT. 

•  HE  first  recollections  of  Fer- 
nando Stevens,  the  hero 
of  this  romance,  were  of 
"  moving. "  He  was  sit- 
ting on  his  mother's  knee. 
How  long  he  had  been  sitting 
there  he  did  not  know,  nor  did  he 
know  how  he  came  there ;  but  he 
knew  that  it  was  his  mother  and  that  they  were 
in  a  great  covered  wagon,  and  that  he  had  a 
sister  and  brother,  older  than  himself,  in  the 
wagon.  The  wagon  was  filled  with  household  ef- 
fects, which  he  seemed  to  know  belonged  to  that 
mother  on  whose  knee  he  sat  and  that  father  who 
was  sitting  on  the  box  driving  the  horses  which 
pulled  the  wagon.  Fernando  Stevens  was  never 
exactly  certain  as  to  his  age  at  the  time  of  this 
1  1 


2  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

experience ;  but  he  could  not  have  been  past  three, 
and  perhaps  not  more  than  two  years  old,  when 
he  thus  found  himself  with  his  father's  family 
and  all  their  effects  in  a  wagon  going  somewhere. 

He  knew  not  from  whence  they  came,  nor  did 
he  know  whither  they  were  going.  It  was  pleasant 
to  sit  on  his  mother's  knee  and  with  his  great  blue 
eyes  watch  those  monster  horses  jogging  along 
dragging  after  them  the  great  world,  which  in  his 
limited  comprehension  was  all  the  world  he  knew, — 
the  covered  wagon.  Suddenly  some  bright,  re- 
volving object  attracted  his  attention,  and  he  fixed 
his  eyes  on  it.  It  was  the  wagon  tire,  and  he  saw 
it  crushing  and  killing  the  grass  at  the  side  of  the 
road,  or  rolling  and  flattening  down  the  dust  in 
long  streaks. 

Then  they  descended  a  hill.  It  was  not  a  long 
hill,  but  seemed  rather  steep.  There  was  water 
at  the  bottom.  He  remembered  seeing  the  bright, 
sparkling  wavelets  and  never  forgot  the  impression 
they  produced.  There  was  a  boat  at  the  bottom  of 
the  hill,  and  the  wagon  and  horses  were  driven  into 
the  boat.  A  man  and  boy  began  propelling  the 
long  sweeps  or  oars.  He  watched  the  proceeding 
in  infantile  wonder  and  especially  remembered  how 
the  water  dropped  in  sparkling  crystals  from  the  oar 
blades.  The  boy  had  on  a  red  cap  or  fez  with  a 
tassel.  That  boy,  that  cap  and  that  oar  with  the 


THE  YOUNG  EMIGRANT.  3 

sparkling  dripping  water  from  the  blade  were  to 
him  the  brightest  pictures  and  greatest  wonders  he 
had  ever  known. 

He  had  not  the  least  idea  why  the  man  and  boy 
dipped  those  oars  into  the  water  and  pulled  them 
out  all  dripping  and  pretty,  unless  it  was  to  amuse 
him.  The  oars  were  painted  blue.  He  did  not 
know  where  the}7"  were  going,  or  when  this  journey 
would  end,  or  that  it  was  a  journey. 

Thus  Fernando  Stevens  began  life.  This  was 
the  first  page  in  his  existence  that  he  could  recol- 
lect. In  after  years  he  knew  he  was  Fernando 
Stevens,  that  his  father  was  Albert  Stevens,  a  sol- 
dier in  the  War  of  the  Eevolution,  that  his  kind, 
sweet-faced  mother  was  Estella  Stevens,  and  that 
the  very  first  experience  he  could  remember  was 
that  of  the  family  emigrating  to  the  great  Ohio 
valley. 

Albert  Stevens  was  married  shortly  after  the 
close  of  the  Kevolutionary  War,  and  he  tried  hard 
to  succeed  in  New  England ;  but  he  had  no  trade 
and  no  profession,  and  the  best  lands  in  the  coun- 
try were  bought.  Seven  years  of  his  early  life, 
with  all  his  dawning  manhood  had  been  spent  in 
the  army,  and  now  with  his  family  of  three  chil- 
dren he  found  himself  poor.  Congress  had  made 
a  treaty  with  the  Indians  by  which  the  vast  territory 
of  the  Ohio  valley  was  thrown  open  to  white  set- 


4  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

tiers,  and  he  resolved  to  emigrate  to  where  land 
was  cheap,  purchase  a  home  and  grow  up  with  the 
country. 

Resolved  to  emigrate,  the  father  collected  his 
little  property  and  provided  himself  with  a  wagon 
and  four  horses,  some  cows,  a  rifle,  a  shot-gun  and 
an  axe.  His  trusty  dog  became  the  companion  of 
his  journey.  In  his  wagon  he  placed  his  bedding, 
his  provisions  and  such  cooking  utensils  as  were 
indispensable.  Everything  being  ready,  his  wife 
and  the  three  children  took  their  seats,  Fernando, 
the  youngest,  on  his  mother's  knee;  while  the 
father  of  the  family  mounted  the  box.  The  horses 
were  started  and  the  great  vehicle  began  to  move. 
As  they  passed  through  the  village  which  had  been 
to  them  the  scene  of  many  happy  hours,  they  took 
a  last  look  at  the  spots  which  were  hallowed  by 
association — the  church  with  its  lowly  spire,  an 
emblem  of  that  humility  which  befits  a  Christian, 
and  the  burial-ground,  where  the  weeping  willow 
bent  mournfully  over  the  head -stone  which  marked 
the  graves  of  their  parents.  The  children,  who 
were  old  enough  to  remember,  never  forgot  their 
playground,  nor  the  white  schoolhouse  where  the 
rudiments  of  an  education  were  instilled  into  their 
minds. 

Their  road  was  at  first,  comparatively  smooth  and 
their  journey  pleasant.  Their  progress  was  inter- 


THE   YOUNG  EMIGRANT.  5 

rupted  by  divers  little  incidents;  while  the  con- 
tinual changes  in  the  appearance  of  the  country 
around  them,  and  the  anticipation  of  what  was  to 
come,  prevented  those  feelings  of  despondency, 
which  might  otherwise  have  arisen  on  leaving  a 
much  loved  home.  When  the  roads  became  bad 
or  hilly,  the  family  quit  the  wagon  and  trudged 
along  on  foot,  the  mother  carrying  the  baby  Fer- 
nando in  her  arms.  At  sunset,  their  day's  journey 
finished,  they  halted  in  the  forest  by  the  roadside 
to  prepare  their  supper  and  pass  the  night.  The 
horses  were  unharnessed,  watered  and  secured  with 
their  heads  to  the  trough  until  they  had  eaten  their 
meagre  allowance  of  corn  and  oats,  and  then  were 
hobbled  out  to  grass.  Over  the  camp  fire  the 
mother  prepared  the  frugal  supper,  which  being 
over,  the  emigrants  arranged  themselves  for  the 
night,  while  the  faithful  dog  kept  watch.  Amid 
all  the  privations  and  vicissitudes  in  their  journey, 
they  were  cheered  by  the  consciousness  that  each 
day  lessened  the  distance  between  them  and  the 
land  of  promise,  whose  fertile  soil  was  to  recom- 
pense them  for  all  their  trials  and  hardships. 

Gradually,  as  they  advanced  west,  the  roads  be- 
came more  and  more  rough  and  were  only  passable 
in  many  places  by  logs  having  been  placed  side  by 
side,  forming  what  was  termed  corduroy  roads. 
The  axe  and  rifle  of  the  emigrant,  or  mover  as  he 


6  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

is  still  termed  in  the  west,  were  brought  daily 
and  almost  hourly  into  use.  With  the  former  he 
cut  saplings,  or  small  trees,  to  throw  across  the 
roads,  which,  in  many  places,  were  almost  impas- 
sable; while  with  his  rifle  he  killed  squirrels,  wild 
turkeys,  or  such  game  as  the  forest  afforded,  for 
their  provisions  were  in  a  few  days  exhausted.  If, 
perchance,  a  buck  crossed  his  path,  and  he  brought 
it  down  by  a  lucky  shot,  it  was  carefully  dressed 
and  hung  up  in  the  forks  of  the  trees ;  fires  were 
built,  and  the  meat  cut  into  small  strips  and  smoked 
and  dried  for  future  subsistence. 

As  they  advanced,  the  road  through  the  woods 
became  more  difficult  to  travel,  the  trees  being 
merely  felled  and  drawn  aside,  so  as  to  permit  a 
wheeled  carriage  to  pass;  and  the  emigrant  was 
often  obliged  to  be  guided  in  his  route  only  by 
the  blaze  of  the  surveyor  on  the  trees,  and  at  every 
few  rods  to  cut  away  the  branches  which  obstructed 
his  passage.  As  the  stroke  of  the  axe  reverbe- 
rated through  the  woods,  no  answer  came  back  to 
assure  him  of  the  presence  of  friend  or  foe.  At 
night  in  these  solitudes,  they  heard  the  wolves  steal- 
ing through  the  gloom,  sniffing  the  scent  of  the  in- 
truders; and  now  and  then,  the  bloodshot  eyes  of 
the  catamount  glared  through  the  foliage. 

Days,  weeks  and  months  passed  in  this  toilsome 
journey  through  the  wilderness,  so  indelibly  im- 


THEY   TOOK    A    LAST    LOOK    AT    TIIK    SPOTS  WHICH   WKItK    II  ALLOW  Kl)    I1Y   ASSOCIATION. 


THE   YOUNG  EMIGRANT.  7 

pressing  it  on  the  memory  of  Fernando  Stevens, 
that  he  never,  to  his  dying  day,  forgot  that  journey. 
At  last  they  arrived  at  the  landmarks  which,  to 
Albert  Stevens,  indicated  the  proximity  of  his 
possessions.  A  location  for  the  cabin  was  selected 
near  a  small  stream  of  running  water,  on  the  south 
side  of  a  slight  elevation. 

No  time  was  lost.  The  trees  were  immediately 
felled,  and  in  a  short  time  Fernando,  looking  out 
from  the  covered  wagon,  perceived  a  clear  space  of 
ground  of  but  fe-w  rods  in  circumference.  Stakes, 
forked  at  the  top,  were  driven  into  the  ground,  on 
which  the  father  placed  logs,  and  the  chinks  be- 
tween these  were  stopped  with  clay.  An  enclosure 
was  thus  hastily  thrown  up  to  protect  the  family 
from  the  weather,  and  the  wife  and  children  were 
removed  to  this  improvised  abode.  The  trunks  of 
the  trees  were  rolled  to  the  edge  of  the  clearing, 
and  surmounted  by  stakes  driven  crosswise  into  the 
ground :  the  severed  tops  and  branches  of  trees 
piled  on  top  of  the  logs,  thus  forming  a  brush 
fence.  By  degrees  the  surrounding  trees  were 
"  girdled"  and  killed.  Those  that  would  split 
were  cut  down  and  made  into  rails,  while  others 
were  left  to  rot  or  logged  up  and  burned. 

A  year  showed  a  great  improvement  in  the  pio- 
neer's home.  Several  acres  had  been  added  to  the 
clearing,  and  the  place  began  to  assume  the  ap- 


8  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

pearance  of  a  farm.  The  temporary  shanty  had 
given  place  to  a  comfortable  log  cabin;  and  al- 
though the  chimnjey  was  built  of  small  sticks 
placed  one  on  the  other,  and  filled  in  between  with 
clay,  occupying  almost  one  whole  end  of  the  cabin, 
it  showed  that  the  inward  man  was  duly  attended 
to;  and  the  savory  fumes  of  venison,  of  the  prairie 
hen  and  other  good  things  went  far  to  prove  that 
even  backwoods  life  was  not  without  its  comforts.* 
In  a  few  months,  the  retired  cabin,  once  so  soli- 
tary, became  the  nucleus  of  a  little  settlement. 
Other  sections  and  quarter  sections  of  land  were 
entered  at  the  land  office  by  new  comers.  New 
portions  of  ground  were  cleared,  cabins  were 
erected;  and  in  a  short  time  the  settlement  could 
turn  out  a  dozen  efficient  hands  for  house  raising 
or  log  rolling.  A  saw  mill  soon  after  was  erected 
at  the  falls  of  the  creek ;  the  log  huts  received  a 
poplar  weather  boarding,  and,  as  the  little  settle- 
ment increased,  other  improvements  appeared;  a 
mail  line  was  established,  and  before  many  years 
elapsed,  a  fine  road  was  completed  to  the  nearest 
town,  and  a  stage  coach,  which  ran  once,  then 
twice  a  week,  connected  the  settlement  with  the 
populous  country  to  the  east  of  it. 

*  The  author  has  often  heard  his  mother  say  that  the 
most  enjoyable  period  of  her  life  was  in  a  pioneer  home 
similar  to  the  above. 


THE   YOUNG  EMIGRANT.  9 

This  was  the  life  the  hero  of  this  story  began. 
It  might  be  said  to  be  an  unromantic  life ;  yet  such 
a  life  was  known  to  many  of  our  American  an- 
cestors. It  had  its  pleasures  as  well  as  its  pains. 
It  had  its  poetry  as  well  as  its  prose,  and  its  joys 
as  well  as  its  sorrows.  The  vastness  of  the  forest 
and  depths  of  the  solitude  by  which  he  was  sur- 
rounded, made  its  impress  on  his  mind.  He  grew 
up  in  ignorance  of  tyranny  and  many  of  the  evils 
of  the  great  cities. 

The  cabin  home  and  the  narrow  clearing  about 
it  formed  his  playground.  His  first  toy  was  a  half- 
bushel  measure,  which  he  called  his  "bushee!" 
This  he  rolled  before  him  around  the  log  cabin  and 
the  paths  made  in  the  tall  grass,  frequently  to  the 
dread  of  his  mother,  who  feared  that  he  might 
encounter  some  of  the  deadly  serpents  with  which 
the  forest  abounded.  He  remembered  on  one  oc- 
casion, when  his  mother  found  him  going  too  far, 
she  called : 

"  Come  back,  Fernando;  mother  is  afraid  you 
will  step  on  a  snake. " 

He  looked  about  him  with  the  confidence  of 
childhood,  and  answered : 

"No  'nakeshere." 

Just  at  that  moment,  the  mother,  to  her  horror, 
saw  a  deadly  reptile  coiled  in  the  very  path  along 
which  the  child  was  rolling  his  "  bushee,"  and  with 


10  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

true  frontier  woman's  pluck,  ran  and  snatched  up 
the  bare-footed  Fernando,  when  only  within  two 
feet  of  the  deadly  serpent,  carried  him  to  the 
house,  and  with  the  stout  staff  assailed  and  killed 
the  rattlesnake. 

He  remembered  seeing  the  wild  deer  bound  past 
the  cabin  door,  and  one  day  his  father  killed  one. 
The  big  dog  called  "  Bob, "  on  account  of  the  short- 
ness of  his  caudal  appendage,  on  another  occasion 
leaped  on  a  wild  buck  as  he  was  passing  the  house, 
and  seized  the  animal,  holding  it  until  it  was  slain. 
Wild  turkeys  were  common;  he  saw  them  in  great 
flocks  in  the  woods,  and  did  not  suppose  they 
could  ever  become  extinct. 

Fernando  never  forgot  his  first  pair  of  shoes. 
He  had  grown  to  be  quite  a  lad,  and  his  bare  feet 
had  trod  the  paths  in  the  forest,  and  over  the 
prairies  in  summer  and  late  in  autumn,  until  they 
had  become  hardened.  In  winter  his  mother  had 
made  him  moccasins  out  of  deer  skins;  but  he  was 
at  last  informed  that  he  was  going  to  have  a  pair  of 
shoes,  such  as  he  had  seen  some  children  from  the 
eastern  States  wear.  His  joy  at  this  intelligence 
knew  no  bounds.  He  dreamed  of  those  shoes  at 
night,  and  they  formed  the  theme  of  his  conversa- 
tion by  day.  His  sister,  who  was  the  oldest  of  the 
children,  had  been  the  happy  possessor  of  three 
pairs  of  shoes,  and  she  often  discussed  knowingl}- 


THE  YOU  NO  EMIGRANT.  11 

the  good  qualities  of  pedal  coverings  and  of  their 
advantages  in  travelling  through  brambles  or  over 
stones.  Often  as  he  contemplated  his  scratched, 
chapped  and  bruised  feet,  the  child  had  asked 
himself  if  it  were  possible  that  he  should  ever 
be  able  to  afford  such  a  luxury  as  a  real  pair  of 
shoes. 

Money  was  scarce,  luxuries  scarcer.  The  frontier 
people  lived  hard,  worked  hard,  slept  sound,  and 
enjoyed  excellent  health. 

Though  little  Fernando  had  never  owned  a  real 
pair  of  shoes  in  his  life,  so  far  as  he  could  re- 
member, he  possessed  a  strong  mind  and  body,  and 
no  prince  was  his  superior.  He  had,  as  yet,  never 
been  to  school  a  day,  but  from  the  great  book  of 
nature  he  had  imbibed  sublimity  and  loftiness  of 
thought,  which  only  painters  and  poets  feel. 

Though  he  was  shoeless,  he  was  inspired  with 
lofty  ideas  of  freedom  such  as  many  reared  in 
cities  never  dream  about.  The  father  had  to  make 
a  long  journey  to  some  far-away  place  for  the  shoes. 
The  day  before  starting  all  the  children  were  made 
to  put  their  feet  on  the  floor,  while  the  parents 
measured  them  with  strings,  and  tied  knots  to  in- 
dicate the  size  of  shoes  to  be  purchased.  At  last 
the  measures  were  obtained,  and  the  father  put  them 
in  the  pocket  of  his  buckskin  hunting  jacket. 
Then  he  harnessed  the  horses  to  the  wagon  and, 


12  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

with  his  trusty  rifle  for  his  only  companion,  drove 
away.  Bob,  the  faithful  watch -dog,  was  very 
anxious  to  accompany  him,  and  whined  and  howled 
for  two  or  three  days ;  but  he  was  kept  at  home  to 
defend  the  family.  A  faithful  protector  was  Bob, 
and  woe  to  the  intruder  who  dared  to  annoy  the 
household  while  he  was  around.  Fernando  waited 
patiently  and  long  for  the  return  of  his  father. 
Every  night  before  retiring  to  his  trundle-bed,  he 
would  ask  his  mother  if  "  father  would  come  next 
day. " 

At  last  the  joyous  shout  of  the  older  children 
announced  the  approach  of  the  wagon.  They  ran 
down  the  road  to  meet  it.  The  horses  jogged 
along  with  the  wagon,  which  rolled  and  jolted  over 
the  ground  to  the  house.  The  wagon  was  un- 
loaded. There  were  bags  of  meal  and  flour,  coffee 
and  tea,  and  then  came  the  calico  and  cotton  goods, 
jugs  of  molasses  and  a  barrel  of  sugar.  The  shoes 
were  in  a  box  and  finally  brought  out. 

A  great  disappointment  was  in  store  for  Fer- 
nando. His  shoes  were  too  small.  The  father 
had  lost  the  string  and  purchased  the  shoes  "  by 
guess. "  Fernando  tried  hard  to  squeeze  his  foot 
into  the  little  green  coverings;  but  they  were  so 
small  and  there  was  danger  of  bursting  them. 
Father  had  to  go  back  to  the  land  office  in  a  day  or 
two  and  would  exchange  them.  He  rode  off  on 


THE   YOUNG  EMIGRANT.  13 

the  white  mare,  "  old  Betts, "  and  on  his  return  had 
a  pair  of  shoes  large  enough  for  Fernando. 

They  were  awkward  at  first  and  cramped, 
pinched  and  galled  his  feet.  His  mother  made 
him  a  suit  of  clothes  of  "blue  drillin',"  and  next 
Sabbath  the  whole  family  got  into  the  wagon  and 
drove  off  eight  miles  to  Bear  Creek  to  "  meeting. " 

The  people  of  the  west  were  as  thorough  a  com- 
bination and  mixture  of  all  nations,  characters, 
languages,  conditions  and  opinions  as  can  well  be 
imagined.  Scarcely  a  nation  in  Europe,  or  a  State 
in  the  union,  that  did  not  furnish  emigrants  for  the 
great  west.  The  greater  mass  from  Europe  were 
of  the  humble  classes,  who  came  from  hunger, 
poverty  and  oppression.  They  found  themselves 
here  with  the  joy  of  shipwrecked  mariners  cast  on 
the  untenanted  woods,  and  instantly  became  cheered 
with  the  hope  of  being  able  to  build  up  a  family 
and  a  fortune  from  new  elements. 

The  Puritan  and  the  planter,  the  German,  the 
Briton,  the  Frenchman,  the  Irishman  and  the 
Swede,  each  with  his  peculiar  prejudices  and  local 
attachments,  and  all  the  complicated  and  inter- 
woven tissue  of  sentiments,  feelings  and  thoughts, 
that  country,  kindred  and  home,  indelibly  com- 
bined with  the  web  of  youthful  existence,  settled 
down  beside  each  other.  The  merchant,  mechanic 
and  farmer  found  themselves  placed  by  necessity 


14  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

in  the  same  society.  Men  must  cleave  to.  their 
kind  and  must  be  dependent  upon  each  other. 
Pride  and  jealousy  give  way  to  the  natural  yearn- 
ings of  the  human  heart  for  society.  They  began 
to  rub  off  mutual  prejudices.  One  took  a  step  and 
then  the  other.  They  met  half  way  and  embraced ; 
and  the  society  thus  newly  organized  and  con- 
stituted was  more  liberal,  enlarged,  unprejudiced, 
and  of  course  more  affectionate  and  pleasant  than  a 
society  of  people  of  like  birth  and  character,  who 
would  bring  all  their  early  prejudices  as  a  com- 
mon stock,  to  be  transmitted  as  an  inheritance  to 
posterity. 

Depending  only  on  God  and  nature,  the  simple 
backwoodsman  came  to  regard  God  as  his  only 
master  and,  like  the  Swiss  patriot,  would  bow  his 
knee  to  none  other.  Men  were  left  free  to  adopt 
such  religious  views  and  tenets  as  they  chose,  and 
the  generous  laws  protected  every  man  alike  in  his 
religious  opinions.  Ministers  of  the  gospel  and 
priests,  being  presumed  to  be  devoted  to  humanity, 
charity  and  general  benevolence,  were  precluded  by 
many  State  constitutions  from  any  participation  in 
the  legislative  authority,  and  their  compensation 
depended  wholly  upon  the  voluntary  aid  of  those 
among  whom  they  labored  in  charity  and  love.  In 
the  wide  district  where  the  Stevens  lived,  the  coun- 
try was  too  sparsely  settled  to  support  a  stationed 


THE   YOUNG  EMIGRANT.  15 

minister,  and  "  preaching"  was  a  luxury.  Un- 
sustained  by  the  rigid  precepts  of  law  in  any  privi- 
leges, perquisites,  fixed  revenue,  prescribed  by 
reverence  or  authority,  except  such  as  was  volun- 
tarily acknowledged,  the  clergy  found  that  success 
depended  upon  the  due  cultivation  of  popular 
talents.  Zeal  for  the  great  cause  mixed,  per- 
haps, with  a  spice  of  earthly  ambition,  the  innate 
sense  of  emulation  and  laudable  pride,  a  desire  of 
distinction  among  their  cotemporaries  and  brethren, 
prompted  them  to  seek  popularity,  and  to  study 
all  the  arts  and  means  of  winning  the  popular 
favor. 

Travelling  from  month  to  month  through  dark 
forests,  with  such  ample  time  for  deep  thought,  as 
they  ambled  slowly  along  the  lonesome  horse  path 
or  unfrequented  roads,  they  naturally  acquired  a 
pensive  and  romantic  turn  of  thought  and  ex- 
pression, which  is  often  favorable  to  eloquence. 
Hence  their  preaching  was  of  the  highly  popular 
cast,  such  as  immortalized  Peter  Cartwright.  The 
first  aim  was  to  excite  the  ministers;  hence,  too, 
excitement,  or,  in  religious  parlance,  "  awaken- 
ings," or  "revivals"  became  common.  Living  re- 
mote from  each  other,  and  spending  much  of  their 
time  in  domestic  solitude  in  vast  forests  or  wide 
spreading  prairies,  the  "  appointment"  for  preach- 
ing was  looked  upon  as  a  gala-day,  or  a  pleasing 


16  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

change,  which  brought  together  the  auditors  from 
remote  points,  and  gratified  a  feeling  of  curiosity, 
which  prompted  the  pioneers  to  associate  and  inter- 
change cordial  congratulations. 

As  yet  no  meeting  house  had  been  erected  in  all 
the  region  where  the  Stevens  lived.  The  meeting 
on  Bear  Creek  was  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Moore,  who 
was  the  happy  possessor  of  a  "  double  log  cabin." 
One  cabin  or  room  was  cleared  of  furniture,  and 
sawn  boards,  placed  on  sticks  of  wood  on  end,  fur- 
nished the  seats.  These  were  occupied  and  the 
"  entry"  between  the  cabins  was  filled  by  children. 
The  preacher,  who  was  also  chorister,  took  his 
position  near  the  door  so  as  to  accommodate  those 
without  as  well  as  those  within.  He  opened  his 
saddle-bags  and,  pushing  back  his  soiled  linen, 
took  out  his  bible  and  hymn-book  and,  proceeding 
to  "line  a  hymn,"  "started  it"  himself,  the  con- 
gregation all  joining. 

Fernando  Stevens  had  heard  from  his  sister 
about  these  wonderful  meetings ;  but  he  had  never 
dreamed  that  a  score  of  voices  could  raise  such  an 
uproar,  and  he  ceased  admiring  his  new  shoes, 
while  he  fixed  his  eyes  in  terror  on  the  capacious 
mouth  of  a  pious  old  man,  who,  in  his  fervent  zeal, 
was  singing  with  all  his  might.  As  he  sounded 
forth  each  resonant  note,  louder  than  the  preced- 
ing, his  mouth  opened  wider  and  wider,  until  Fer- 


THE   YOUNG  EMIGRANT.  17 

nando  took  alarm  and  climbed  upon  his  father's 
knee. 

At  this  critical  moment,  there  came  on  the  air  a 
cracking  sound,  and  one  of  the  boards  which  served 
the  purpose  of  a  pew  broke  in  the  centre  and  came 
down  with  a  crash,  precipitating  nearly  half  a 
score  of  buxom,  screaming  girls  into  a  promiscuous 
heap  upon  the  floor.  This  was  too  much  for  Fer- 
nando. He  could  not  but  attribute  the  disaster 
to  the  wide-mouthed  singer,  and  he  screamed  so 
lustily  in  his  fright,  that  his  father  took  him  from 
the  house  to  calm  his  fears. 

Fernando 's  first  experience  at  "  meeting"  was 
not  very  encouraging;  but  he  did  not  despair. 
Soon  after  their  return  home  he  heard  the  family 
begin  to  speak  of  the  "  camp-meeting, "  and  learned 
that  one  was  to  be  held  at  the  head  waters  of  Bear 
Creek,  not  far  from  the  home  of  Mr.  Moore,  and 
that  the  family  was  going. 

On  the  appointed  day  they  took  their  places  in 
the  wagon  and  started  for  the  camp  ground.  Notice 
of  the  camp -meeting  had  been  circulated  for  several 
weeks  or  months,  and  all  were  eager  to  attend. 
The  country  for  fifty  miles  around  was  excited 
with  the  cheerful  anticipation  of  the  approaching 
festival  of  religious  feeling  and  social  friend- 
ship. When  the  Stevenses  arrived  on  the  grounds, 
wagons  and  carts,  coaches  and  old  family  chaises, 


18  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

people  on  horseback  and  on  foot,  in  multitudes, 
with  provision  wagons,  tents,  mattresses,  house- 
hold implements  and  cooking  utensils,  were  seen 
hurrying  from  every  direction  toward  the  central 
point.  The  camp  was  in  the  midst  of  a  grove  of 
beautiful,  lofty,  umbrageous  trees,  natural  to  the 
western  country,  clothed  in  their  deepest  verdure, 
and  near  a  sparkling  stream,  which  supplied  the 
host  with  fresh  water.  White  tents  started  up  in 
the  grove,  and  soon  a  sylvan  village  sprang  up  as 
if  by  magic.  The  tents  and  booths  were  pitched 
in  a  semi-circle,  or  in  a  four-sided  parallelogram, 
inclosing  an  area  of  two  acres  or  more,  for  the  ar- 
rangement of  seats  and  aisles  around  a  rude  pulpit 
and  altar  for  the  thronging  multitude,  all  eager  to 
hear  the  heavenly  messenger. 

Fernando  beheld  all  in  a  maze  of  wonder,  and 
half  believed  this  was  that  Heaven  of  which  his 
mother  had  told  him  so  much.  He  half  expected 
to  see  the  skies  open  and  the  son  of  God  descend  in 
all  his  glory.  Toward  night,  the  hour  of  solemn 
service  approached,  and  the  vast  sylvan  bower  of 
the  deep  umbrageous  forest  was  illuminated  by 
numerous  lamps  suspended  around  the  line  of  tents 
which  encircled  the  public  area  and  beside  the 
rustic  altars  distributed  over  the  same,  which  sent 
forth  a  glare  of  light  from  the  fagot  fires  upon  the 
worshipping  throng,  and  the  majestic  forest  with 


THE   YOUNG  EMIGRANT.  19 

an  imposing  effect,  which  elevated  the  soul  to  fit 
converse  with  its  creator,  God. 

The  scenery  of  the  most  brilliant  theatre  of  the 
world  was  only  a  painting  for  children  compared 
with  this.  Meantime,  the  multitude,  with  the 
highest  excitement  of  social  feeling,  added  to  the 
general  enthusiasm  of  expectation,  was  passing 
from  tent  to  tent  interchanging  apostolic  greetings 
and  embraces,  while  they  talked  of  the  approaching 
solemnities.  A  few  minutes  sufficed  to  finish  the 
evening's  repast,  when  the  moon  (for  they  had 
taken  thought  to  appoint  the  meeting  at  the  time 
of  the  full  moon)  began  to  show  its  disc  above  the 
dark  summits  of  the  distant  mountains,  while  a 
few  stars  were  seen  glimmering  in  the  west.  Then 
the  service  began.  The  whole  constituted  a  temple 
worthy  of  the  grandeur  of  God.  An  old  man  in  a 
dress  of  the  quaintest  simplicity  ascended  a  plat- 
form, wiped  the  dust  from  his  spectacles,  and,  in 
a  voice  of  suppressed  emotion  "  lined  the  hymn," 
of  which  that  vast  multitude  could  recite  the  words, 
to  be  sung  with  an  air  in  which  every  voice  could 
join.  Every  heart  capable  of  feeling  thrilled  with 
emotion  as  that  song  swelled  forth,  "Like  the 
sound  of  many  waters,  echoing  among  the  hills 
and  mountains."  The  service  proceeded.  The 
hoary-haired  orator  talked  of  God,  of  eternity,  of  a 
judgment  to  come  and  all  that  is  impressive  beyond. 


20  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

He  spoke  of  his  experiences  and  toils,  his  travels, 
his  persecutions  and  triumphs,  and  how  many  he 
had  seen  in  hope,  in  peace  and  triumph  gathered 
to  their  fathers.  When  he  spoke  of  the  short  space 
that  remained  for  him,  his  only  regret  was  that  he 
could  no  longer  proclaim,  in  the  silence  of  death, 
the  unsearchable  riches  and  mercies  of  his  crucified 
Redeemer. 

No  wonder,  as  the  speaker  paused  to  dash  the 
gathering  moisture  from  his  own  eye,  his  audience 
was  dissolved  in  tears,  or  uttered  exclamations  of 
penitence.  Many  who  prided  themselves  on  an 
estimation  of  a  higher  intellect  and  a  nobler  insen- 
sibility than  the  crowd  caught  the  infection,  and 
wept,  while  the  others,  "  who  came  to  mock  re- 
mained to  pray." 

In  due  time  a  schoolhouse  was  erected  on  the 
banks  of  the  creek  a  mile  away  from  the  house  of 
Albert  Stevens.  Fernando  was  sent  with  the  older 
children.  Mrs.  Ores  well  the  teacher  had  no  end  of 
trouble  with  the  little  fellow,  whose  ideas  of  liberty 
were  inconsistent  with  discipline,  and  who  insisted 
on  reclining  on  the  floor  instead  of  sitting  on  a 
bench.  He  became  hungry  and  despite  the  fact 
that  his  preceptress  had  forbidden  "  talking  out 
loud"  declared  that  he  wanted  something  to  eat. 

"  Wait  a  bit, "  answered  the  teacher.  "  We  will 
have  recess  by  and  by. " 


THE  YOUNG  EMIGRANT.  21 

"  Is  recess  something  to  eat?"  he  asked. 

This  question  produced  a  titter,  and  the  insubor- 
dinate youngster  was  again  told  he  must  not  talk. 
After  awhile  he  became  accustomed  to  school  and 
liked  it.  He  grew  older  and  learned  his  letters. 
It  was  a  tedious  task,  the  most  difficult  of  which 
was  to  distinguish  "  N"  from  "  U,"  but  he  finally 
mastered  them,  and  his  education,  he  supposed,  was 
complete.  After  two  or  three  years,  he  learned  to 
read.  His  father  on  one  of  his  journeys  to  town 
brought  to  their  forest  home  some  excellent  books, 
with  bright,  beautiful  pictures.  He  was  now  nine 
years  old,  and  could  read  with  some  difficulty. 
One  of  his  books  was  a  story  about  a  man  being 
wrecked  on  an  island,  and  having  saved  a  black 
man  named  Friday  from  death  by  savages.  Fer- 
nando never  tired  of  this  wonderful  book,  and,  in 
his  eagerness  for  the  adventures  of  Eobinson 
Crusoe,  learned  to  read  well  without  knowing  it. 

From  reading  one  book,  he  came  to  read  others, 
and  lofty,  ambitious  thoughts  took  possession  of 
his  soul.  His  mind,  uncontaminated  or  dwarfed  by 
the  sins  of  civilization,  early  began  to  reach  out  for 
high  and  noble  ideas. 

His  father  had  been  a  captain  in  the  continental 
army,  and  had  travelled  all  over  the  Atlantic 
States  during  the  war  for  independence.  He  told 
his  children  many  stories  of  those  dark  days  and 


22  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

sought  early  to  instil  in  their  young  minds  a  love 
for  their  country,  urging  them  ever  to  sustain  its 
honor  and  its  flag. 

Fernando  Stevens,  even  early  in  childhood,  be- 
came a  patriot.  He  could  be  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  a  patriot  and  lover  of  freedom  with  such 
training,  and  growing  up  in  such  an  atmosphere. 
With  the  bitter  wrongs  of  George  III.  rankling  in 
his  heart,  he  came  to  despise  all  forms  of  mon 
archy,  and  to  hate  "  redcoats. "  The  cruelties  of 
Cornwallis,  Tarleton,  Rawdon,  Tryon  and  Butler 
were  still  in  the  minds  of  the  people,  and  the  boy, 
as  he  gazed  on  his  father's  sword  hanging  on  the 
cabin  wall,  often  declared  he  would  some  day  take 
it  and  avenge  the  wrongs  done  in  years  gone  by. 

Years  passed  on,  and  Fernando,  in  his  quiet 
home  in  the  West,  grew  to  be  a  strong,  healthy 
lad,  with  a  constantly  expanding  mind. 


CHAPTER   II. 

MORGIANNA. 

IT  was  early  on  the  morning  of  June  13,  1796, 
just  twenty  years  after  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, that  Captain  Felix  Lane,  of  the  good  ship 
Ocean  Star,  was  on  his  voyage  from  Rio  to  Balti- 
more with  a  cargo  of  coffee.  The  morning  was 
specially  bright,  and  the  captain,  as  brave  a  man  as 
ever  paced  a  quarter  deck,  was  in  the  best  of  spirits, 
for  he  expected  soon  to  be  home.  He  had  no  wife 
and  children  to  greet  him  on  his  return,  for  Lane 
was  a  bachelor.  He  had  served  on  board  a  priva- 
teer during  the  War  of  the  Revolution  and  had 
done  as  much  damage  as  any  man  on  salt  water 
to  English  merchantmen.  Like  most  brave  men, 
Captain  Lane  had  a  generous  soul,  a  kind  heart, 
and  there  was  not  a  man  aboard  his  vessel  who 
would  not  have  died  for  him.  He  preserved  per- 
fect discipline  and  respect  through  love  rather  than 
fear,  for  he  was  never  known  to  be  harsh  with  any 
of  his  crew. 

No  one  knew  why  the  captain  had  never  married. 
His  first  mate,   who  had  sailed  under  him  four 

28 


24  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

years,  had  never  dared  broach  him  on  the  subject 
of  matrimony.  There  was  a  story — a  mere  rumor 
— perhaps  without  the  slightest  foundation,  of 
Felix  Lane,  when  a  poor  sailor  boy,  loving  the 
daughter  of  an  English  merchant  at  Portsmouth, 
England.  The  mate  got  the  story  from  a  gossipy 
old  English  sailor,  who  claimed  to  know-  all  about 
it,  but  whose  fondness  for  spinning  yarns  brought 
discredit  on  his  veracity.  According  to  the  old 
sailor's  account,  the  fair  English  maid's  name  was 
Mary.  Her  father  was  one  of  the  wealthiest  mer- 
chants in  the  city ;  and  one  day  when  Lane  was 
only  nineteen  he  met  Mary.  Her  beauty  captivated 
him  and  inspired  him  to.a  nobler  life.  Mary  loved 
the  young  sailor;  but  it  was  the  old  story  of  the 
penniless  lover  and  cruel  parent.  The  sailor  was 
forcibly  expelled  from  the  house  and  sailed  to 
America,  with  a  heart  full  of  revenge  and  ambition. 
He  arrived  just  after  the  battle  of  Lexington, 
and  soon  shipped  aboard  a  privateer.  Again  it 
was  the  old  story  of  a  rash  lover  laughing  at  death, 
seeking  the  grim  monster  who  seemed  to  avoid 
him.  His  ship  was  so  successful,  that  in  a  short 
time  each  of  the  crew  was  rich  from  prize  money. 
Four  years  and  a  half  of  war  found  Felix  Lane 
commander  of  the  most  daring  privateer  on  the 
ocean.  He  was  already  wealthy  and  continued  by 
fresh  prizes  to  add  to  his  immense  fortune.  The 


MOROIANNA.  25 

merchant  marine  of  Great  Britain  dreaded  his  ship, 
the  Sea  Rover,  more  than  the  whole  American 
navy.  Lane  was  one  of  the  most  expert  seamen 
on  the  ocean,  and  might  have  had  a  high  office  in 
the  regular  navy,  had  he  not  found  this  semi- 
piratical  business  more  lucrative. 

One  day  his  vessel  sighted  a  large  merchantman, 
off  the  coast  of  Spain,  and  engaged  it  in  a  terrible 
conflict.  The  merchantman  carried  twice  as  many 
people  and  heavier  guns  than  the  Sea  Rover;  but 
by  the  skilful  management  of  his  ship  Captain 
Lane  continued  to  rake  her  fore  and  aft  until  she 
was  forced  to  strike  her  colors.  When  the  con- 
queror went  aboard,  he  found  the  splintered  deck 
a  scene  of  horror.  Cordage,  shrouds,  broken  spars 
and  dead  and  dying  men  strewed  the  deck.  Near 
the  gangway  was  a  middle-aged  man  holding  in  his 
arms  a  girl  mortally  wounded  in  the  conflict.  He 
recognized  her  in  a  moment,  and  the  scene  which 
followed  tried  all  the  powers  of  the  old  yarn-spin- 
ner's descriptive  faculties.  He  held  her  in  his 
arms  and  wept  and  prayed  until  her  life  was  ex- 
tinct. It  was  said  that  she  recognized  him  and 
that  she  died  with  a  sweet  smile  on  her  face,  point- 
ing upward  to  a  place  of  reunion.  The  father, 
who  had  survived  the  conflict,  was  released,  and 
Captain  Felix  continued  his  career  a  sadder  and 
better  man. 


26  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Whether  this  story  was  true  or  not,  no  one  can 
at  this  day  tell,  for  Jack  tars  are  proverbial  yarn- 
spinners,  and  seek  more  after  romance  than  truth. 
One  thing  is  quite  certain,  though,  Captain  Lane 
was  still  a  bachelor,  and  had  resisted  all  the  ad- 
vances of  beautiful  women,  until  no  one  doubted 
that  he  would  end  his  days  a  bachelor. 

On  this  bright  June  morning  a  sail  was  descried 
S.S.E.,  and  there  immediately  sprang  up  a  little 
conversation  between  master  and  mate  as  to  the 
probable  character  of  the  ship. 

"  Perchance,  captain,  it's  a  British  cruiser, "  sug- 
gested the  mate. 

"  If  it  should  be,  we  have  no  fears. " 

"  No,  for  the  Ocean  Star  can  show  a  pair  of  clean 
heels  to  anything  afloat.  These  British  have  a 
habit  of  searching  all  vessels  they  can  capture  and 
impressing  seamen." 

"  It's  ugly  business." 

"  It  will  breed  another  storm. " 

"  I  don't  think  America  will  long  submit." 

At  this,  the  mate,  whose  temper  was  as  fiery  as 
his  red  hair,  vowed : 

"  If  they  should  board  a  ship  of  mine,  I  would 
give  'em  lead  and  steel,  until  they  would  not  care 
to  search  or  impress  any  one. " 

"  They  have  no  such  right, "  the  captain  an  - 
swered,  and  his  face  grew  very  stern. 


MORGIANKA.  27 

The  vessel,  whatever  she  was,  did  not  cross 
their  path,  however,  and  in  a  few  hours  disap- 
peared around  some  jutting  headlands. 

They  had  only  left  Rio  the  day  before,  and  had 
very  light  winds.  The  land  breeze  lasted  long 
enough  to  bring  them  by  Santa  Cruz,  and  their 
ship  drifted  along  all  day  between  Raza  and  the 
main.  Toward  night  the  sea-breeze  came  in  fresh 
from  the  eastward,  and  they  made  four-hour  tacks, 
intending  to  keep  the  northern  shore  quite  close 
aboard,  and  to  take  their  departure  from  Cape  Frio. 
The  night  was  very  clear,  and  at  eight  bells  they 
tacked  ship  to  the  northward,  heading  about  N.N. 
E. ;  Raza  lights  could  just  be  discerned,  bearing 
about  West.  Captain  Lane  had  come  on  deck, 
as  was  his  custom,  to  "  stay"  the  brig,  and,  finding 
everything  looking  right,  was  about  to  go  below, 
when  the  man  on  the  lookout  cried : 

"Sail  ho!" 

"  Where  away?"  demanded  the  Captain. 

"  Two  points  off.  the  lee  bow." 

TJie  captain  walked  forward  to  the  forecastle, 
from  where  he  descried  what  appeared  to  be  a  large 
square-rigged  vessel  standing  directly  for  them, 
with  her  port-tacks  aboard.  This  seemed  strange 
to  the  captain,  as  he  knew  of  no  vessel  which  had 
left  Rio,  except  one  several  days  previous,  and  she 
should  have  been  far  on  her  voyage  by  this  time. 


28  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

The  stranger  approached  very  rapidly,  carrying 
a  press  of  canvas,  and  "  lying  over"  to  it  in  fine 
style.  In  a  short  time  the  stranger  was  almost 
within  speaking  distance,  and  Captain  Lane  made 
her  out  to  be  a  large  heavily -sparred  clipper  brig. 
A  collision  seemed  inevitable,  if  she  held  her 
course.  The  Ocean  Star  was  a  little  to  windward 
of  the  stranger  with  the  starboard  tacks  aboard, 
and  Captain  Lane  knew  it  was  the  stranger's  duty 
to  "  bear  up"  and  keep  away.  He  jumped  for  his 
speaking  trumpet  and  hailed : 

"Brig  ahoy!" 

No  answer;  and  the  mysterious  vessel  came 
booming  right  on  for  them  with  fearful  speed. 

"  Brig  ahoy !"  shouted  the  captain  again.  "  Hard 
up  your  helm,  or  you  will  be  into  me!" 

Still  no  answer;  and,  jumping  to  the  wheel,  the 
captain  jammed  it  down,  and  they  came  up  flying 
into  the  wind.  Leaving  the  wheel  to  the  fright- 
ened seaman,  he  sprang  into  the  port  rail,  -to  see 
where  the  stranger  would  strike  them.  As  he  did 
so,  that  mysterious  craft  flew  by,  and  the  whole 
sea  seemed  lighted  up  by  a  strange  illumination. 
It  was  like  a  terrible  dream — so  wild,  so  super- 
natural and  unearthly.  As  Captain  Lane  stood  by 
the  port  rail,  he  saw  right  under  his  quarter,  a 
large,  low,  black  brig,  with  her  decks  crowded  with 
men,  and  guns  protruding  from  her  ports;  while 


MOROIANNA.  29 

on  the  weather  rail,  clinging  with  one  hand  to  the 
shrouds,  stood  a  strange,  demoniacal -looking  fig- 
ure, holding  in  his  outstretched  hand,  above  the 
water,  a  burning  blue  light.  On  the  quarter-deck 
a  little  knot  of  men  seemed  standing,  a  short  dis- 
tance apart  from  them  was  a  strikingly  handsome 
man,  who,  from  his  air  of  superiority,  Lane  at  once 
knew  to  be  the  commander.  His  perfectly  poised 
and  graceful  attitude,  and  thorough  composure,  as 
he  removed  a  cigar  from  his  mouth  and  motioned 
an  order  to  the  helmsman,  struck  the  beholder  as 
wonderful. 

In  an  instant  the  whole  thing  flashed  upon  the 
captain — he  was  a  pirate  !  He  had  run  under  the 
stern  of  the  brig  and  burned  a  blue  light  to  read 
the  name  of  the  vessel,  and  see  if  the  bird  was 
worth  plucking. 

Captain  Lane's  decision  was  instantaneous.  He 
knew  that  the  white  feather  never  helped  one  out 
with  such  fellows.  It  was  all  the  work  of  an  in- 
stant. The  stranger  ran  a  couple  of  lengths  astern 
the  Ocean  Star,  swung  his  main-yard  aback  and 
hailed;  but  while  the  bold  buccaneer  was  doing 
this,  Captain  Lane  had  performed  an  equally  sea- 
manlike  manoeuvre.  He  caught  his  sails  aback, 
and  his  vessel  having  stern  way,  he  shifted  his 
helm,  backed  her  round,  and,  filling  away  on  the 
other  tack,  stood  directly  for  the  pirate. 


30  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

It  was  the  stranger's  time  to  hail  now.  The 
Ocean  Star  was  a  sharp,  strong,  fast-sailing  vessel, 
and  was  under  good  headway  and  perfect  contiol. 
Captain  Lane  then  acted  hurriedly,  but  with  pre- 
cision, giving  his  orders  to  his  mate  and  helmsman, 
and,  seizing  the  cabin  lantern  and  his  speaking 
trumpet,  he  jumped  upon  the  topgallant  forecastle, 
and,  holding  up  his  lamp,  made  the  master  mason's 
"  hailing  sign  of  distress. "  He  then  hailed  through 
his  trumpet,  in  quick,  determined  syllables: 

"  Brig  ahoy !  Unless  you  swear  as  a  man  or  as  a 
Mason  that  you  will  not  molest  me,  as  true  as  there 
is  a  God,  we  will  sink  together!" 

Quick  as  thought,  the  answer  came  back  through 
the  trumpet,  clear  and  distinct: 

"  I  swear  as  a  Mason !     Hard  up  your  helm !" 

"  Hard  up  your  helm !"  the  captain  shouted  aft, 
and,  paying  off  like  a  bird,  the  Ocean  Star  swept 
by  the  stranger's  stern  near  enough  to  almost  touch 
her.  As  they  went  sailing  past  her,  it  became 
Captain  Lane's  turn  to  bend  forward  with  a  lan- 
tern, and  ascertain  who  his  new  acquaintance  was. 
There,  painted  in  blood-red  letters  on  the  black 
stern,  was  the  name 

MORGIANNA. 

He  had  scarce  read  it,  when  the  same  clear  tones, 
more  subdued,  hailed  him,  as  he  thought,  with 
somewhat  of  kindness : 


MORGIANNA, 


31 


"  Captain,  do  me  the  favor  to  back  your  main- 
yard  ;  I  will  come  aboard  of  you — alone  !  " 

The  captain  gave  the  necessary  orders,  and  ''  hove 


'  to"  with- 

\     / 

in     three 
or  four  cables' 
f  length  of  the  stran- 
ger;  and  in  a  very 
few  minutes  a  four- 
oared  boat,  contain- 
ing   but    a    single 
figure  besides   the 
crew,  was  seen  approaching  the  Ocean  Star. 

Captain  Lane  had  a  ladder  put  over  the  gangway 
and  threw  a  rope  to  the  boat  as  it  came  alongside ; 


MORGIANNA. 


32  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

and  the  next  moment  the  stranger  sprang  upon  the 
deck  of  the  Ocean  Star. 

With  an  easy  grace  he  gave  to  the  captain  the 
quick,  intelligible  sign  of  the  "great  brotherhood" 
and,  taking  his  arm  familiarly,  walked  aft. 

Captain  Lane  called  the  steward,  sent  for  glasses 
and  wine,  and,  as  soon  as  they  were  placed  upon 
the  table,  closed  the  cabin  door,  and  found  himself 
alone  with  his  strange  visitor. 

The  captain  filled  his  glass  and,  sipping  it  in 
Spanish  fashion,  passed  the  decanter  to  the  stran- 
ger. He  followed  his  example,  and  after  the  usual 
interchange  of  courtesies  addressed  him : 

"  Captain,  I  have  a  favor  to  ask  of  you. " 

"  Name  it. " 

"  You  are  probably  not  aware  of  the  true  motive 
which  induced  me  to  heave  you  to?" 

"  I  am  not. " 

"  It  is  this:  I  wish  you  to  take  a  passenger  to 
the  United  States — a  lady  and  her  child.  Now 
that  I  have  seen  you  and  feel  acquainted  with  you, 
by  our  common  ties,  I  feel  a  confidence  in  sending 
them  by  you,  which  I  should  never  have  felt,  per- 
haps, with  another.  Will  you  take  them?  Any 
price  shall  be  yours. " 

"  Yes ;  I  will  take  them. " 

"  Thank  you.  I  have  a  still  further  favor  to 
ask.  I  wish  to  send  to  the  States  a  sum  of  money 


MORGIANNA.  33 

to  be  invested  in  the  lady's  name,  and  for  her  ac- 
count. Will  it  be  too  much  to  ask  you  to  attend 
to  this?  You  may  charge  your  own  commission." 

"  I  will  obey  your  wishes  to  the  letter,"  Captain 
Lane  answered. 

The  stranger  grasped  his  hand  across  the  table 
and,  with  some  emotion,  added: 

"  If  you  will  do  this,  and  will  place  the  lady 
and  child  where  they  may  find  a  home,  with  the 
surroundings  of  Christian  society,  you  will  confer 
a  favor  upon  me  which  money  can  never  repay." 

Captain  Lane  looked  at  the  man  with  astonish- 
ment, and  for  the  first  time  gave  him  a  glance  that 
was  thoroughly  searching  and  critical. 

He  was  apparently  of  about  thirty-five  years  of 
age,  a  little  above  the  medium  height,  with  a  broad 
forehead,  over  which  fine,  brown  hair  clustered  in 
careless  folds.  He  wore  his  beard  and  mustache 
long,  the  former  extending  to  a  point  a  few  inches 
below  the  throat.  His  eyes  were  brown,  large  and 
full  of  expression,  while  in  conversation,  and  a 
mild  and  melancholy  smile  occasionally  stole  over 
his  features. 

His  manners  and  conversation  betokened  refine- 
ment; and,  take  him  all  in  all,  he  was  the  last  man 
one  would  have  ever  taken  for  a  smuggler  or  a 
pirate. 

Captain  Lane  became  very  much  interested  in 
3 


84  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

him,  and  gradually  their  conversation  took  a  wider 
range.  In  the  midst  of  it  and  before  they  had 
fully  completed  their  business  arrangements  in 
relation  to  the  passengers,  whom  Captain  Lane  had 
engaged  to  convey  to  the  United  States,  the  mate 
knocked  at  the  cabin  door,  and  informed  them  that 
a  heavy  squall  was  rising  to  westward. 

They  hurried  on  deck,  which  no  sooner  had  they 
reached,  than  the  stranger,  looking  hastily  in  the 
quarter  indicated,  shook  Captain  Lane  warmly  by 
the  hand  saying: 

"  I  must  go  aboard,  captain ;  that  will  be  a  heavy 
squall.  Keep  me  in  sight  if  you  can;  but,  if  we 
part  company,  meet  me  off  Cape  Frio — this  side  of 
it — to-morrow ;  wait  for  me  till  night,  if  you  do 
not  see  me  before.  Good-by!"  and  springing  into 
his  boat,  he  pulled  away  for  his  vessel. 

Captain  Lane  never  saw  him  again  alive. 

No  sooner  was  he  over  the  side,  than  the  captain 
gave  orders  to  shorten  sail.  He  took  in  royals  and 
topgallant  sails,  furled  the  courses,  trysail  and  jib, 
and  double-reefed  the  topsails.  They  braced  the 
yards  a  little  to  starboard,  hauled  the  foretopmast 
staysail  sheet  well  aft,  and  the  captain,  thinking 
he  had  everything  snug,  stood  looking  over  the 
weather  rails,  watching  the  approaching  squall. 
The  wind  had  almost  died  away,  and  the  atmos- 
phere seemed  strangely  oppressive.  Captain  Lane 


MOEGIANNA.  35 

was  an  old  sea-dog  and  had  witnessed  many  strange 
phenomena  on  the  ocean ;  but  never  had  he  seen  a 
squall  approach  so  singularly.  It  seemed  to  move 
very  slowly — a  great  black  cloud,  which  looked 
intensely  luminous  withal,  and  yet  so  dense  and 
heavy,  that  an  ordinary  observer  might  have  mis- 
taken it  for  one  of  the  ordinary  rain  squalls  en- 
countered in  the  tropics.  Captain  Lane  consulted 
his  barometer,  and  found  it  falling  rapidly. 

"  Clew  the  topsails  up!"  shouted  the  captain  to 
the  mate.  "  All  hands  lay  aloft  and  furl  them!" 

The  order  was  quickly  obeyed;  and  just  as  the 
sailors  reached  the  deck,  the  squall  struck  them. 
It  did  not  come  as  it  was  expected ;  it  had  worked 
up  from  the  westward,  but  struck  the  Ocean  Star 
dead  from  the  South.  In  an  instant  they  were 
over,  nearly  on  their  beam  ends,  and  a  heavy  sea 
rushed  over  the  lee-rail,  filling  the  deck. 

"  Hard  up  your  helm !"  shouted  the  captain,  and, 
springing  aft,  he  found  the  helmsman  jammed 
under  the  tiller,  and  the  second  mate  vainly  en- 
deavoring to  heave  it  up.  Taking  hold  with  him, 
by  their  united  efforts  they  at  last  succeeded ;  and, 
after  a  moment's  suspense,  the  Ocean  Star  slowly 
wore  off  before  the  wind  and,  rising  out  of  the 
water,  shook  herself  like  an  affrighted  spaniel  and 
darted  off  with  fearful  speed  before  the  hurricane. 

Leaving  orders  to  keep  her  "  steady  before  it" 


36  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

the  captain  went  forward  to  ascertan  the  extent  of 
the  damage  they  had  sustained.  It  was  now  in- 
tensely dark,  the  rain  falling  in  torrents,  and  light- 
ning bolts  striking  the  water  all  around  them, 
accompanied  by  fearful  and  incessant  peals  of  thun- 
der. A  human  voice  could  not  have  been  heard 
five  paces  away.  The  wind,  which  fairly  roared 
through  the  shrouds,  and  the  deluge  of  water  upon 
the  deck,  were  enough  of  themselves  to  drown  any 
voice.  By  flashes  of  lightning,  the  captain  soon 
ascertained  that  they  were  comparatively  unharmed, 
and  their  spars  were  safe.  Gathering  his  frightened 
crew  and  officers  about  him,  he  succeeded  at  length 
in  freeing  the  decks  of  water  by  knocking  out  the 
ports  on  either  side.  They  next  sounded  the 
pumps,  and  found  three  feet  of  water  in  the  well. 
Immediately  double  pumps  were  rigged,  and  the 
steady  clinking  of  brakes  added  to  the  noises  and 
terror  of  the  scene. 

It  was  a  fearful  night,  and  Captain  Lane  prayed 
Heaven  that  he  might  never  see  such  another. 

About  half  an  hour  after  the  squall  first  struck 
them — the  captain  of  the  Ocean  Star  was  standing 
with  his  two  officers  on  the  quarter-deck,  "  conning 
the  vessel  by  the  feel  of  the  wind  and  rain,"  keep- 
ing her  dead  before  the  gale — when  there  came  a 
flash  and  a  peal  which  made  them  cower  almost  to 
the  decks. 


MORGIANNA.  37 

"My  God!"  was  the  simultaneous  exclamation 
of  all.  A  long  chain  of  lightning  and  a  heavy  ball 
of  fire  seemed  to  shoot  from  the  sky,  lighting  up 
the  whole  sea,  revealing,  and  at  the  same  time 
striking,  in  its  descent,  a  full-rigged  brig,  which, 
like  themselves,  was  scudding  before  the  gale  under 
bare  poles,  a  few  cables'  length  off  their  port  beam. 
The  next  instant,  a  fearful  explosion,  heard  loud 
above  the  roaring  storm,  shook  the  sea,  a  volume 
of  flame  and  fire  shot  up  in  the  air,  and  when  they 
looked  again  for  the  vessel,  in  the  flashes  of  light- 
ning, it  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

As  the  morning  broke,  the  gale  abated,  and  set- 
tled into  a  light  breeze  from  the  eastward.  They 
made  all  sail,  and  stood  to  the  southward  with  the 
wind  abeam,  hoping  to  fall  in  with  some  survivors 
of  the  wreck. 

Captain  Lane  changed  his  wet  garments  for  some- 
thing more  comfortable,  refreshed  himself  with  a 
strong  cup  of  coffee,  and,  taking  his  glass,  sought 
the  foretopsail  yard.  About  seven  bells,  he  thought 
he  discovered  some  object  in  the  water  three  or  four 
points  off  the  lee  bow.  Hailing  the  deck  to  keep 
off  for  it,  he  very  soon  made  out  fragments  of  a 
vessel — spars,  water  casks,  pieces  of  deck  and,  as 
they  came  still  nearer,  a  boat;  but  the  captain, 
even  from  his  lofty  perch,  could  see  no  sign  of  any 
one  in  it. 


38  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Descending  to  the  deck,  he  ordered  a  boat  to  be 
cleared  away,  and,  running  as  near  as  he  dared  to 
the  wreck,  he  backed  his  maintopsail  and  took  a 
long  and  earnest  survey  with  his  glass. 

All  hands  were  watching  with  anxious  eyes  the 
expression  on  the  captain's  face.  He  handed  his 
glass  to  the  mate,  who  carefully  examined  every 
fragment  which  appeared  above  water.  The  cap- 
tain looked  at  the  mate  inquiringly;  but  neither 
said  a  word.  The  mate  handed  back  the  glass  and 
shook  his  head  sorrowfully. 

Again  the  captain  looked  long  and  earnestly; 
the  mate  looked  again,  and  again  returned  the 
glass: 

"  Poor  fellows — we  may  as  well  fill  away,  sir ! " 
he  said  sadly. 

There  was  still  considerable  sea  on,  and  the  mere 
launching  of  a  boat  was  attended  with  more  than 
ordinary  danger,  added  to  which  was  that  to  be 
encountered  from  the  broken  spars  and  fragments 
of  wreck  drifting  about.  Captain  Lane  thought  of 
all  these  dangers,  and  was  about  to  give  the  order 
to  "fill  away  the  mainyard,"  when  something 
seemed  to  say  to  him : 

"  There  is  some  one  in  that  boat/  " 

This  impression  was  so  strong  that  he  felt  as  if 
it  would  be  murder  to  leave  the  spot  without  mak- 
ing a  more  minute  search,  and  he  ordered  the  boat 


MOROIANNA.  39 

to  be  lowered  at  once.  Jumping  into  the  stern 
sheets,  four  good  oars  well  manned  soon  brought 
him  within  the  little  field  of  fragments,  in  the 
centre  of  which  the  boat  was  floating.  No  wonder 
none  of  the  crew  was  left, — the  water  literally 
swarmed  with  sharks. 

Standing  in  the  bow  with  a  boat  hook,  the  cap- 
tain warded  off  pieces  of  wreck  and  gradually  made 
his  way  to  the  strange  boat. 

The  sight  there  which  met  his  eyes  Captain  Lane 
never  forgot  to  his  dying  day.  When  bowed  down 
with  old  age,  and  his  feeble  steps  were  tottering 
on  the  verge  of  the  grave,  that  scene  came  to  him 
as  vividly  as  on  that  terrible  day.  Lying  in  the 
bottom  of  the  boat  was  the  burnt,  blackened  and 
bruised  form  of  a  man,  which,  with  some  difficulty, 
the  captain  recognized  as  the  handsome  stranger  who 
had  visited  him  on  the  previous  evening.  Cling- 
ing to  him,  with  her  arms  clasped  tightly  around 
his  mutilated  form,  a  clasp  which  even  death  could 
not  break,  her  fair  face  pressed  close  to  his  black- 
ened features,  was  the  lifeless  body  of  the  most 
beautiful  woman  Captain  Lane  had  ever  seen.  The 
look  of  agony,  of  commiseration,  of  tenderness,  of 
pity,  of  horror  and  despair,  which  was  sealed  upon 
those  lifeless  features  was  beyond  the  powers  of 
description  ;  but  the  saddest  spectacle  of  all  was  a 
child,  a  little  girl  about  one  year  old,  clinging  fran- 


40  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

tically  to  the  breast  of  her  dead  mother,  and  gaz- 
ing silently  at  them  in  frightened  wonder. 

For  years,  Captain  Lane's  eyes  had  not  been 
dimmed  with  tears,  but  now  the  fountains  of  grief 
were  opened  up,  and  his  cheeks  were  wet.  He 
carefully  entered  the  boat,  felt  of  each  cold  body, 
laid  his  hand  upon  each  silent  heart,  and  waited  in 
vain  for  an  answering  signal  to  his  touch  upon  the 
pulse. 

"  It  is  all  over, "  he  said,  and  sitting  down  in  the 
stern  sheets  of  the  boat,  he  took  the  child  in  his 
arms  and  sent  his  men  back  for  sheets  and  shot  and 
palm  and  needle  and  prayer-book.  "  They  shall 
have  Christian  burial,"  declared  the  kind-hearted 
captain. 

They  went  away  and  left  him  alone  with  the 
dead  and  the  baby.  The  infant  seemed  to  cling  to 
him  from  that  moment,  and  the  Great  Father  above 
alone  knows  how  strangely  and  rapidly  those  cords 
of  love  were  cemented  between  the  bluff,  old  bach- 
elor sea-captain  and  the  infant.  That  heart,  which 
he  had  thought  dead  to  all  love  since  the  awful 
day  on  board  the  English  merchantman,  when  he 
saw  the  only  being  he  ever  loved  dying,  was  sud- 
denly thrilled  by  the  tenderest  emotions.  Those 
sweet  blue  eyes  were  upturned  to  his  face  with  a 
glance  of  imploring  trust,  and  the  captain  cried : 

"Yes,  blow  my  eyes,  if  I  don't  stand  by  you, 


MORGIANNA.  41 

little  one,   as  long  as  there  is  a  stitch  of  canvas 
left!" 

The  time  was  very  short  until  his  men  returned. 
Wrapping  the  dead  in  one  shroud  and  winding 
sheet,  with  heavy  shot  well  secured  at  their  feet, 
the  captain  put  the  little  child's  lips  to  its  mother's, 
giving  her  an  unconscious  kiss,  which  caused  the 
men  to  brush  their  rough  sleeves  across  their 
weather-beaten  eyes.  Then,  reading  with  a  broken 
voice,  the  last  service  for  the  dead,  the  shroud 
was  closed,  and  the  opening  waters  received 
them  and  bore  them  away  to  their  last  resting 
place. 

Jumping  into  his  boat,  with  the  little  stranger 
nestling  in  his  arms.  Captain  Lane  was  soon  aboard 
the  Ocean  Star,  and  with  a  fair  wind  and  sunny 
skies  was  once  more  homeward  bound.  The  cap- 
tain seemed  loath  to  relinquish  his  little  charge. 
There  was  a  goat  on  the  vessel  which  furnished 
milk,  and  the  cook  prepared  some  dainty  food  for 
the  little  stranger. 

"What  is  her  name,  captain?"  he  asked,  while 
feeding  the  hungry  child.  She  was  not  old  enough 
to  know  her  name,  and  therfe  was  not  found  about 
her  clothes  or  in  the  boat  anything  whatever  by 
which  her  name  could  possibly  be  known,  so  she 
had  to  be  rechristened.  What  name  should  he 
give  her?  He  reflected  a  moment  and  then,  re- 


42  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

membering  the  name  on  the  stern  of  that  black, 
mysterious  vessel,  answered: 

"  Morgianna!" 

"  Morgianna?"  said  the  cook. 

"  Yes,  Morgianna  Lane !  she  is  my  adopted 
daughter. " 

The  cook  smiled  at  the  thought  of  bluff  old  Cap- 
tain Lane  the  bachelor  having  an  adopted  daughter. 

After  the  perils  and  excitements  of  such  a  night, 
it  was  not  strange  that  Captain  Lane  slept  long  and 
soundly.  He  had  good  officers,  and  when  he  re- 
tired he  gave  them  orders  not  to  disturb  him,  un- 
less absolutely  necessary,  until  he  should  awake. 

They  obeyed  the  injunction  to  the  letter,  and 
on  the  following  morning  he  was  awakened  by 
hearing  one  of  the  crew  ask  in  an  undertone  of  the 
steward. 

"  How  is  little  Morgianna  this  morning?" 

"  Little  Morgianna, "  he  said  to  himself ;  and 
then  it  all  came  back,  and  with  it  a  strangely  ten- 
der dream  which  had  all  night  long  haunted  his 
slumbers.  The  captain  rose  hurriedly,  dressed 
himself  and  inquired  for  the  child,  who  had  been 
resigned  to  the  care  of  the  cook.  She  was  brought 
to  him,  a  bright,  cheerful  little  thing,  just  begin- 
ning to  lisp  unintelligible  words.  For  a  few  days 
she  missed  her  mother  and  wore  a  look  of  expecta- 
tion on  her  infantile  face,  occasionally  crying  out ; 


MORGIANNA.  48 

but  anon  this  passed  away,  and  she  became  cheer- 
ful and  happy.  The  captain  spent  as  much  of  his 
time  with  her  as  he  could  spare  from  his  duties, 
and  as  he  held  the  little  creature  on  his  knee,  heard 
her  gentle  voice  in  baby  accents,  and  felt  her  warm 
baby  fingers  on  his  cheek,  a  new  emotion  took  pos- 
session of  his  heart.  He  loved  little  Morgianna 
dearly  as  a  father  might. 

Before  that  voyage  was  over,  Captain  Lane  re- 
solved to  abandon  the  sea  and  retire  to  his  fine 
estate  at  Mariana,  a  village  on  the  seashore  not  a 
score  of  miles  from  Baltimore.  He  kept  his  inten- 
tions a  secret  until  the  vessel  was  in  port;  then  the 
merchants  with  whom  he  had  been  engaged  in  busi- 
ness for  years,  were  astounded  to  learn  that  Cap- 
tain Lane  had  made  his  last  voyage.  A  nurse  was 
engaged  for  little  Morgianna  and  the  great  mansion 
house  on  the  hill  within  a  fourth  of  a  mile  of 
Mariana  was  fitted  up  for  habitation.  Servants 
were  sent  to  the  place,  and  the  villagers  were  lost 
in  wonder. 

The  gossips  had  food  for  conjecture  for  weeks, 
and  many  were  the  strange  stories  afloat.  Some  of 
the  old  dames  thought  the  captain  was  going  to  be 
married  after  all.  Then  the  young  widows  and 
ancient  maidens  who  had  heard  much  about  Cap- 
tain Lane,  sighed  and  looked  disconsolate.  Every 
kind  of  a  story  but  the  truth  was  afloat. 


44  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

When  on  one  bright  autumnal  day,  a  carriage 
from  •  Baltimore  was  seen  to  dash  into  the  village 
and  roll  up  the  great  drive,  between  the  rows  of 
poplars,  it  was  whispered  he  had  come.  One  who 
watched  averred  that  only  the  captain  and  a  child 
not  over  a  year  and  a  half  old  alighted  from  the 
coach.  (The  nurse  came  in  another  vehicle.)  The 
child  started  another  rumor.  She  was  a  mysteri- 
ous, unknown  factor,  and  the  gossips  bandied  the 
captain's  name  about  in  a  reckless  manner.  Good 
old  dames  shook  their  heads  knowingly  and  de- 
clared they  had  suspected  the  captain  had  a  wife 
all  the  time  in  some  far-off  city. 

"  You  kin  never  depend  on  these  sea-captains!" 
Mrs.  Hammond  declared. 

But  despite  all  their  conjectures,  the  captain 
lived  in  the  old  stone  mansion  house  with  his  ser- 
vants and  Morgianna.  A  few  weeks  after  his  ar- 
rival, she  was  christened  at  the  village  church  as 
Morgianna  Lane,  her  parents  not  known. 

Would  "wonders  never  cease?  Bit  by  bit,  the 
sensational  story  of  Morgianna  got  out  into  the 
village,  and  she  became  the  object  of  the  greatest 
interest.  Captain  Lane  adopted  her,  and  when  she 
became  old  enough  to  accompany  him,  he  seldom 
went  away  without  her.  Morgianna  loved  the 
good  old  man,  who,  with  all  his  rough  seaman - 
like  ways,  was  father  and  mother  both  to  her. 


MOROIANNA.  45 

Never  had   daughter  a  kinder  or  more  indulgent 
father. 

As  years  went  on,  Morgianna  grew  in  beauty, 
intelligence,  grace  and  goodness.  Captain  Lane 
was  proud  of  her,  and  she  was  never  so  happy  as 
when  sitting  on  his  knee  listening  to  his  yarns  of 
the  sea.  Her  own  sad,  dark  story  had  never  been 
told  to  her, — that  was  left  for  the  future. 


CHAPTER  III. 

JEFFERSON  IAN ISM. 

THERE  is  not  a  man  of  intelligence  in  America 
or  Europe,  who  has  not  heard  of  the  Democratic 
party  in  America,  that  great  political  organization 
which  has  been  in  existence  almost,  if  not  quite, 
one  hundred  years.  Many  who  claim  allegiance  to 
this  great  party  know  little  of  its  tenets,  and  still 
fewer  Icnow  its  history.  There  are  orators  on  the 
stump,  in  the  halls  of  Congress,  writers  for  the 
press,  all  advocating  "  the  glorious  principles  of 
Democracy,"  who  have  never  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted themselves  with  its  history.  The  Demo- 
cratic party  of  to-day  was  originally  known  as  the 
Republican  party.  The  warm  discussions  on  the 
national  constitution  engendered  party  spirit  in 
the  new  republic,  which  speedily  assumed  definite 
forms  and  titles,  first  as  Federalist  and  anti -Feder- 
alist, which  names  were  changed  to  Federalist  and 
Republican,  or  Democrat. 

The  Federalist  party,  headed  by  Alexander 
Hamilton,  favored  much  concentration  of  power  in 

46 


JEFFERSONIANISM.  47 

a  national  government,  but  perhaps  not  more  than 
we  have  to-day,  and,  in  fact,  not  more  than  is 
really  essential  to  the  upbuilding  of  a  stable  re- 
public like  ours.  There  can  be  no  question  but 
that  Washington  held  to  the  same  views;  but 
Washington  was  the  only  great  man  America  ever 
produced  who  rose  so  far  above  political  parties  as 
to  absorb  them  all.  He  has  never  been  classed  as 
belonging  to  either  party.  The  Eepublican  or 
Democratic  party  favored  State  sovereignty  and  the 
diffusion  of  power  among  the  people. 

The  American  people  had  had  such  bitter  ex- 
periences with  monarehs  that  they  dreaded  any- 
thing which  savored  of  monarchy,  and  it  was 
argued  that  a  centralized  government  was  but  a 
step  in  that  direction.  On  the  other  hand,  Feder- 
alists pointed  out  the  danger  of  State  sovereignty, 
which  would  surely  in  the  end  disrupt  the  general 
government.  Subsequent  history  has  proven  that 
the  Federalists  were  right.  We  have  said  that 
Washington  was  a  Federalist  at  heart.  His  ene- 
mies, meanly  jealous  of  his  popularity,  often  de- 
clared that  he  was  a  monarchist. 

Meanwhile,  a  revolution,  violent  in  its  nature 
and  far-reaching  in  its  consequences,  had  broken 
out  in  France. 

It  was  the  immediate  consequences  of  the  teach- 
ings of  the  American  revolution.  The  people  of 


48  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

France  had  long  endured  almost  irresponsible  des- 
potism, and  were  yearning  for  freedom  when  the 
French  officers  and  soldiers,  who  had  served  in 
America  during  the  latter  years  of  our  struggles 
for  independence,  returned  to  their  country  full  of 
republican  ideas  and  aspirations.  They  questioned 
the  right  of  the  few  to  oppress  the  many,  and  the 
public  heart  was  soon  stirred  by  new  ideas,  and  in 
a  movement  that  followed,  Lafayette  was  conspicu- 
ous fora  while.  The  king,  like  many  tyrants,  was 
weak  and  vacillating,  and  soon  a  body  called  the 
states-general  assumed  the  reins  of  government, 
while  the  king  was  in  fact  a  prisoner.  The  terri- 
ble Bastile,  whose  history  represented  royal  despot- 
ism, was  assailed  by  the  citizens  of  Paris  and  pulled 
down.  The  privileges  of  the  nobility  and  clergy 
were  abolished,  and  the  church  property  was  seized. 
The  king's  brothers  and  many  of  the  nobles  fled 
in  affright  across  the  frontier,  and  tried  to  induce 
other  sovereigns  to  take  up  the  cause  of  royalty  in 
France  and  restore  the  former  order  of  things.  The 
emperor  of  Austria  (brother  of  the  French  queen) 
and  the  king  of  Prussia  entered  into  a  treaty  to 
that  effect,  at  Pilnitz,  in  1791. 

When  this  treaty  became  known,  war  at  once 
followed.  Robespierre  and  other  self-constituted 
leaders  in  Paris  held  sway  for  a  while,  and  the  most 
frightful  massacres  of  nobles  and  priests  ensued. 


JEFFERSONIANISM.  49 

The  weak  and  unfortunate  king,  who  had  accepted 
constitution  after  constitution,  was  now  deposed 
and  a  republic  was  established.  Affairs  had  as- 
sumed the  nature  of  anarchy  and  blood,  and  Lafay- 
ette and  other  moderate  men  disappeared  from  the 
arena.  The  king  was  tried  on  charge  of  inviting 
foreigners  to  invade  France,  was  found  guilty  and 
was  beheaded  in  January,  1793.  His  queen  soon 
shared  a  like  fate.  The  English  troops  sent  to 
Flanders  were  called  to  fight  the  French,  for  the 
rulers  of  France  had  declared  war  against  Great 
Britain,  Spain  and  Holland  in  February. 

Thomas  Jefferson  who  entered  Washington's 
cabinet  in  1789,  had  just  returned  from  France, 
where  he  had  witnessed  the  uprising  of  the  people 
against  their  oppressors.  Regarding  the  movement 
as  kindred  to  the  late  uprising  of  his  own  country- 
men against  Great  Britain,  it  enlisted  his  warmest 
sympathies,  and  he  expected  to  find  the  bosoms  of 
the  people  of  the  United  States  glowing  with  feelings 
like  his  own.  He  was  sadly  disappointed.  Wash- 
ington was  wisely  conservative.  His  wisdom  saw 
that  the  cruelty  of  the  anarchists  of  Paris  was  not 
patriotism,  but  the  worst  sort  of  despotism.  The 
society  of  New  York,  in  which  some  of  the  leaven 
of  Toryism  yet  lingered,  chilled  Jefferson.  He 
became  suspicious  of  all  around  him,  for  he  re- 
garded the  indifference  of  the  people  to  the 
4 


50  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

struggles  of  the  French,  their  old  allies,  as  an  evil 
omen.  Though  the  Tories  of  New  York  were  cool 
toward  the  French  republic  from  far  different  mo- 
tives than  Washington,  yet  the  same  cause  was  at- 
tributed to  both. 

Jefferson  had  scarcely  taken  his  seat  as  Secretary 
of  State  in  Washington's  first  cabinet  before  he 
declared  that  some  of  his  colleagues  held  decidedly 
monarchical  views;  and  the  belief  became  fixed  in 
his  mind  that  there  was  a  party  in  the  United 
States  continually  at  work,  secretly  and  sometimes 
openly,  for  the  overthrow  of  American  republican- 
ism. The  idea  became  a  monomania  with  Jeffer- 
son from  which  he  never  recovered  till  his  death, 
more  than  thirty  years  afterward.  Jefferson  soon 
rallied  under  his  standard  a  large  party  of  sympa- 
thizers with  the  French  revolutionists.  Eegarding 
Hamilton  as  the  head  and  front  of  the  monarchical 
party,  he  professed  to  believe  that  the  financial 
plans  of  that  statesman  were  designed  to  enslave 
the  people,  and  that  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the 
States  and  of  individuals  were  in  danger.  On  the 
other  hand,  Hamilton  regarded  the  national  consti- 
tution as  inadequate  in  strength  to  perform  its  re- 
quired functions  and  believed  its  weakness  to  be 
its  greatest  defect.  With  this  idea  Jefferson  took 
issue.  He  charged  his  political  opponents,  and 
especially  Hamilton,  with  corrupt  and  anti-repub- 


JEFFERSONIANISM.  51 

lican  designs,  selfish  motives  and  treacherous  in- 
tentions, and  so  was  inaugurated  that  system  of 
personal  abuse  and  vituperation,  which  has  ever 
been  a  disgrace  to  the  press  and  political  leaders  of 
this  country.  Bitter  partisan  quarrels  now  pre- 
vailed, in  which  Jefferson  and  Hamilton  were  the 
chief  actors.  The  populace  was  greatly  excited. 
The  Kepublicans  who  hated  the  British  intensely, 
called  the  Federalists  the  "  British  party,"  and  the 
Federalists  called  their  opponents  the  "  French 
party."  The  Jeffersonians  hailed  with  joy  the 
news  of  the  death  of  the  French  king,  and  ap- 
plauded the  declaration  of  war  against  England  and 
Holland,  forgetting  the  friendship  which  the  latter 
had  shown  for  Americans  during  the  struggle  for 
independence. 

Amid  all  this  uproar  which  proceeded  from  his 
cabinet,  only  Washington  remained  calm.  No 
other  American  at  that  day  nor  since  could  have 
remained  neutral  and  guided  the  ship  of  state 
through  such  breakers  of  discontent.  He  was  the 
safe  middle  water  between  the  dangerous  reefs  of 
concentration  and  State  sovereignty. 

Had  not  the  Federal  party  been  the  victim  of 
many  unfortunate  circumstances,  it  would  certainly 
in  time  have  become  popular  in  the  nation.  It 
was  beyond  question  Washington's  party,  and, 
notwithstanding  the  false  charges  of  monarchism 


52  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

and  British  sovereignty,  it  was  patriotic.  Had  it 
existed  forty  or  fifty  years  longer,  until  that  in- 
cubus which  haunted  Jefferson's  brain  had  passed 
away,  and  the  republic  become  so  firmly  established 
that  people  would  no  longer  fear  British  depend- 
ency, the  Federal  party  would  have  been  a  firmly 
fixed  institution.  Had  Federal  ideas  been  fully 
inculcated  instead  of  Jeffersonianism  and  Calhoun- 
ism,  the  rebellion  of  1861  would  not  have  occurred ; 
but  Aaron  Burr  murdered  Hamilton,  the  friend  of 
Washington,  the  bright  genius  of  American  politics 
and  the  hope  of  the  Federal  party,  and  the  Feder- 
alists were  left  without  any  great  leader.  When 
the  war  of  1812  came,  the  Federalists  were  so  em- 
bittered against  the  Democrats,  then  in  power,  that 
they  became  lukewarm  and  threw  so  many  obstacles 
in  the  way  of  the  patriots  who  were  making  the 
second  fight  for  freedom,  as  to  almost  confirm  the 
suspicion  that  they  were  the  friends  of  Great  Britain 
rather  than  America.  This  forever  blighted  the 
Federal  party. 

In  the  year  1800,  Thomas  Jefferson  was  elected 
the  third  president  of  the  United  States,  and  the 
first  of  Democratic  proclivities. 

Although  the  city  of  Washington,  the  great 
American  capital,  had  been  laid  out  on  a  magnifi- 
cent scale,  in  1791,  and  George  Washington,  with 
masonic  ceremonies,  laid  the  corner-stone  of  the 


JEFFERSONIANISM.  53 

capitol  building  in  1793,  the  seat  of  government 
was  not  removed  there  until  the  year  1800.  The 
site  for  the  city  was  a  dreary  one.  At  the  time 
when  the  seat  of  government  was  first  moved  there, 
only  a  path,  leading  through  an  alder  swamp  on 
the  line  of  the  present  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  was 
the  way  of  communication  between  the  president's 
house  and  the  capitol.  For  a  while,  the  executive 
and  legislative  officers  of  the  government  were  com- 
pelled to  suft'er  many  privations.  In  the  fall  of 
1800,  Oliver  Wolcott  wrote: 

"  There  is  one  good  tavern  about  forty  rods  from 
the  capitol,  and  several  houses  are  built  or  erect- 
ing; but  I  don't  see  how  the  members  of  congress 
can  possibly  secure  lodgings,  unless  they  will  con- 
sent to  live  like  scholars  in  a  college  of  monks  in  a 
monastery,  crowded  ten  or  twenty  in  one  house. 
The  only  resource  for  such  as  wish  to  live  com- 
fortably will  be  found  in  Georgetown,  three  miles 
distant,  over  as  bad  a  road  in  winter  as  the  clay 
grounds  near  Hartford. 

"...  There  are,  in  fact,  but  few  houses  in 
any  one  place,  and  most  of  them  are  small,  mis- 
erable huts,  which  present  an  awful  contrast  to  the 
public  buildings.  The  people  are  poor  and,  as  far 
as  I  can  judge,  live  like  fishes  by  eating  each 
other.  .  .  .  You  may  look  in  any  direction  over 
an  extent  of  ground  nearly  as  large  as  the  city  of 


54  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

New  York,  without  seeing  a  fence  or  any  object 
except  brick  kilns  and  temporary  huts  for  laborers. 
.  .  .  There  is  no  industry,  society  or  business." 

On  March  4,  1801,  Thomas  Jefferson  was  in- 
augurated and  commenced  his  first  term  under 
favorable  auspices.  He  was  then  fifty-eight  years 
of  age — a  tall,  bony  man,  with  grizzled  sandy  hair 
and  rather  slovenly  dress — a  man  who  practised  his 
Democratic  simplicity  in  all  things,  and  sometimes 
carried  it  to  extremes.  A  senator,  writing  of  him 
in  1802,  said: 

"  The  next  day  after  my  arrival  I  visited  the 
president,  accompanied  by  some  democratic  mem- 
bers. In  a  few  moments  after  our  arrival  a  tall, 
high-boned  man  came  into  the  room.  He  was 
dressed,  or  rather  undressed,  in  an  old  brown  coat, 
red  waistcoat,  old  corduroy  smallclothes,  much 
soiled,  woollen  hose,  and  slippers  without  heels.  I 
thought  him  a  servant,  when  General  Varnum  sur- 
prised me  by  announcing  it  was  the  president. " 

In  brief,  Mr.  Jefferson  outlined  his  policy  as  fol- 
lows, in  a  letter  to  Nathaniel  Macon : 

"  1.  Levees  are  done  made  away  with.  2.  The 
first  communication  to  the  next  congress  will  be, 
like  all  subsequent  ones,  by  message  to  which  no 
answer  will  be  expected.  3.  The  diplomatic  es- 
t&blishment  in  Europe  will  be  reduced  to  three 
flpiimsters,  4,  The  compensation  of  collectors  de- 


JEFFERSONIANISM.  55 

pends  on  you  (Congress)  and  not  on  me.  5.  The 
army  is  undergoing  a  chaste  reformation.  6.  The 
navy  will  be  reduced  to  the  legal  establishment  by 
the  last  of  the  month  (May,  1801).  7.  Agencies 
in  every  department  will  be  revised.  8.  We  shall 
push  you  to  the  uttermost  in  economizing.  9.  A 
very  early  recommendation  has  been  given  to  the 
postmaster-general  to  employ  no  printer,  foreigner 
or  Revolutionary  Tory  in  any  of  his  offices." 

James  Madison  was  Mr.  Jefferson's  secretary 
of  state ;  Henry  Dearborn  was  secretary  of  war,  and 
Levi  Lincoln,  attorney -general.  Jefferson  retained 
Mr.  Adams's  secretaries  of  the  treasury  and  navy, 
until  the  following  Autumn,  when  Albert  Gallatin, 
a  naturalized  foreigner,  was  appointed  to  the  first 
named  office  and  Robert  Smith  to  the  second.  The 
president  early  resolved  to  reward  his  political 
friends  when  he  came  to  "  revise"  the  agencies  in 
every  department.  Three  days  after  his  inaugura- 
tion, he  wrote  to  Colonel  Monroe,  "  I  have  firmly 
refused  to  follow  the  counsels  of  those  who  have 
desired  the  giving  of  offices  to  some  of  the  Feder- 
alist leaders  in  order  to  reconcile.  I  have  given, 
and  will  give,  only  to  Republicans,  under  existing 
circumstances. " 

The  doctrine,  ever  since  acted  upon,  that  "to 
the  victor  belong  the  spoils,"  was  then  practically 
promulgated  from  the  fountain-head  of  government 


58  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

patronage ;  and  with  a  cabinet  wholly  Democratic, 
when  congress  met  in  December,  1801,  and  with 
the  minor  offices  filled  with  his  political  friends, 
Mr.  Jefferson  began  his  presidential  career  of  eight 
years'  duration.  In  his  inaugural  address  he  said, 
"  Every  difference  of  opinion  is  not  a  d-ifference 
of  principle.  We  have  called  by  different  names 
brethren  of  the  same  principle.  We  are  all  Fed- 
eralists— we  are  all  Republicans." 

Vigor  and  enlightened  views  marked  his  course, 
so  that  even  his  political  enemies  were  compelled 
to  confess  his  foresight  and  sound  judgment  in  re- 
gard to  the  national  policy. 

The  administration  of  Jefferson  was  not  marked 
with  perfect  peace  abroad.  Napoleon  Bonaparte, 
the  outgrowth  of  the  French  revolution,  had  over- 
thrown monarchy  in  France  and  conquered  almost 
all  Europe.  He  was  not  a  Washington,  however, 
and  the  French  people  were  only  exchanging  one 
tyrant  for  another. 

The  Algerians,  those  barbarous  North  African 
pirates,  had  been  forcing  the  Americans  to  pay 
tribute.  Captain  Bainbridge,  who  commanded  the 
frigate  George  Washington,  for  refusing  to  convey 
an  Algerian  ambassador  to  the  court  of  the  sultan 
at  Constantinople,  was  threatened  by  the  haughty 
governor  with  imprisonment. 

"  You  pay  me  tribute,  by  which  you  become  my 


THEY    <  AKltlKII   TIIK    Sill 


BY    THK   BiiAKO   AKTKll   A    TKUItllll.K    HAND-TO-HAND 
CONFLICT. 


JEFFERSONIA  NISM. 


57 


slave,  and  therefore  I  have  a  right  to  order  you  as 
I  think  proper, "  said  the  dey. 

Bainbridge  was  forced  to  obey  the  orders  of  the 
Barbarian. 

The  Americans  resolved  to  humble  the  Algerians, 
and  a  fleet  was  sent  to  Tripoli  in  1803.  The 
frigate  Philadelphia,  while  recon- 
noitering  the  harbor,  struck  on 
a  rock  and  was  captured  by  the 
Tripolitans,  who  made  her  officers 
prisoners  of  war  and  her  crew 
slaves. 

Lieutenant  Decatur,  on  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1804,  by  a  stratagem, 
got  alongside  the  Philadelphia 
with  seventy-four  brave  young 
sailors  like  himself  and  carried 
the  ship  by  the  board  after  a  ter- 
rible hand-to-hand  conflict.  The 
Tripolitans  were  defeated,  and 
the  Philadelphia  was  burned.  The  American  sea- 
men continued  to  bombard  Tripoli  and  blockaded 
their  ports,  until  the  terrified  Bashaw  made  a 
treaty  of  peace. 

While  the  Americans  were  winning  laurels  on 
the  Mediterranean,  the  infant  republic  was  grow- 
ing in  political  and  moral  strength.  During  Mr. 
Jefferson's  first  term,  one  State  (Ohio)  and  two 


STEPHEN  UECATUR. 


58  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Territories  (Indiana  and  Illinois)  had  been  formed 
out  of  the  great  Northwestern  Territory.  Ohio 
was  organized  as  an  independent  territory  in  the 
year  1800,  and  in  the  fall  of  1802,  it  was  admitted 
into  the  Union  as  a  State.  Long  before  the  North- 
western Territory  had  been  divided  into  different 
territories,  the  present  limits  of  Ohio  and  Kentucky 
had  already  become  quite  populous.  Emigrants 
like  Albert  Stevens  were  pushing  out  on  the  fron- 
tier and  building  up  a  great  commonwealth. 

About  1802,  there  was  great  excitement  in  the 
country  west  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  in  con- 
sequence of  a  violation  of  the  treaty  made  with 
Spain  in  1795,  by  the  governor  of  Louisiana  in 
closing  the  port  of  New  Orleans  against  American 
commerce.  There  was  a  proposition  before  con- 
gress for  taking  forcible  possession  of  that  region, 
when  it  was  ascertained  that,  by  a  secret  treaty, 
Spain  had  retroceded  Louisiana  to  France.  The 
United  States  immediately  began  negotiations  for 
the  purchase  of  that  domain  from  France.  Robert 
R.  Livingston,  the  American  minister  at  the  court 
of  the  First  Consul,  found  very  little  difficulty  in 
making  a  bargain  with  Bonaparte,  for  the  latter 
wanted  money  and  desired  to  injure  England.  He 
sold  that  magnificent  domain,  stretching  from  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  northward  to  the  present  State  of 
Minnesota,  and  from  the  Mississippi  westward  to 


JEFFERSONIANISM.  59 

the  Pacific  Ocean,  for  fifteen  million  dollars.  The 
bargain  was  made  in  the  spring  of  1803,  and  in 
the  fall  the  country,  and  the  new  domain,  which 
added  nine  hundred  thousand  square  miles  to  our 
territory,  was  taken  possession  of  by  the  United 
States.  When  the  bargain  was  closed,  Bonaparte 
said: 

"  This  accession  of  territory  strengthens  forever 
the  power  of  the  United  States,  and  I  have  just 
given  to  England  a  maritime  rival  that  will  sooner 
or  later  humble  her  pride. " 

It  was  the  prevailing  opinion  in  the  country, 
that  the  Spanish  inhabitants,  who  were  forming 
states  in  the  great  valley,  would  not  submit  to  the 
rule  of  American  government.  Aaron  Burr,  a 
wily  and  unscrupulous  politician,  who,  having  mur- 
dered the  noble  Hamilton  in  a  duel,  was  an  outcast 
from  society,  began  scheming  for  setting  up  a  sep- 
arate government  in  the  West.  Burr  was  un- 
scrupulous and  dishonest  and  at  the  same  time 
shrewd.  The  full  extent  of  his  plans  were  really 
never  known,  and  the  historian  is  in  doubt  whether 
he  intended  a  severance  of  the  Union,  or  an  in- 
vasion of  Mexico.  Herman  Blennerhassett,  an 
excellent  Irish  gentleman,  became  his  ally  and 
suffered  ruin  with  Burr.  Burr  was  arrested  and 
tried,  but  was  found  not  guilty.  His  speech  in 
his  own  defence  was  so  eloquent,  that  it  is  said  to 


60  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

have  melted  his  enemies  to  tears,  though  all  be- 
lieved him  guilty.  Burr's  life  was  a  wreck  after 
that.  His  fame  was  blasted,  and  he  was  placed 
beside  Benedict  Arnold  as  a  traitor  to  his  country. 
With  the  acquisition  of  Louisiana,  there  grew 
up  a  powerful  opposition  to  Jefferson  in  the  North 
and  East.  The  idea  was  disseminated  that  the 
purchase  was  only  a  scheme  to  strengthen  the 
south  and  the  southern  democracy.  Mr.  Jefferson 
came  almost  to  having  a  wholesome  dose  of  his 
doctrine  of  State  sovereignty  exemplified.  A  con- 
vention of  Federalists  was  called  at  Boston,  in  1804, 
in  which  a  proposition  of  secession  was  made.  For- 
tunately, however,  there  was  too  much  patriotism 
in  the  body  for  the  proposition  to  carry,  and  the 
government  was  saved. 


CHAPTEK   IV. 

BRITISH     CRUISERS. 

THE  peace  of  1783  between  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain  had  been  extorted  by  the  neces- 
sities, rather  than  obtained  by  the  good  will  of 
England.  Though,  by  a  formal  treaty,  the  United 
States  were  declared  free  and  independent,  they 
were  still  hated  in  Great  Britain  as  rebellious  col- 
onies. That  such  was  the  general  opinion  is  mani- 
fest from  the  letters  of  John  Adams,  our  first 
minister  to  the  court  of  St.  James,  and  from  other 
authentic  contemporary  accounts.  Of  course  there 
were  a  few  men  of  sufficiently  enlarged  and  com- 
prehensive minds  to  forget  the  past  and  urge,  even 
in  parliament,  that  the  trade  of  America  would  be 
more  valuable  as  an  ally  than  a  dependent;  but 
the  number  of  these  was  small  indeed.  The  com- 
mon sentiment  in  England  toward  the  young  re- 
public was  one  of  scornful  detestation.  We  were 
despised  as  provincials,  we  were  hated  as  rebels. 
In  the  permanency  of  our  institutions  there  was 
scarce  a  believer  in  all  Britain.  This  was  especially 

61 


62  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

the  case  prior  to  the  adoption  of  the  federal  con- 
stitution. Both  in  parliament  and  out,  it  was 
publicly  boasted  that  the  Union  would  soon  fall  to 
pieces,  and  that,  finding  their  inability  to  govern 
themselves,  the  different  States  would,  one  by  one, 
supplicate  to  be  received  back  as  colonies.  This 
vain  and  empty  expectation  long  lingered  in  the 
popular  mind,  and  was  not  wholly  eradicated  until 
after  the  war  of  1812. 

Consequently  the  new  republic  was  treated  with 
arrogant  contempt.  One  of  the  first  acts  of  John 
Adams,  as  minister  to  England,  had  been  to  pro- 
pose placing  the  navigation  and  trade  between  the 
dominions  of  Great  Britain  and  the  territories  of 
the  United  States,  on  a  basis  of  complete  reciproc- 
ity. By  acceding  to  such  a  measure  England 
might  have  gained  much  and  could  have  lost  but 
little.  The  proposal  was  rejected  almost  with 
terms  of  insult,  and  Mr.  Adams  was  sternly  in- 
formed that  "  no  other  would  be  entertained. "  The 
consequences  were  that  the  free  negroes  of  Jamaica, 
and  others  of  the  poorer  inhabitants  of  the  British 
West  India  Islands  were  reduced  to  starvation  by 
being  deprived  of  their  usual  supplies  from  the 
United  States.  This  unreasonable  policy  on  the 
part  of  England  naturally  exasperated  the  Ameri- 
cans, and  one  of  the  first  acts  of  the  federal  gov- 
ernment in  1789  was  to  adopt  retaliatory  measures. 


BRITISH  CRUISERS.  63 

A  navy  law  was  passed,  which  has  since  been  the 
foundation  of  all  our  treaties  of  reciprocity  with 
England.  A  protective  tariff  was  also  adopted  as 
another  means  of  retaliation.  In  these  measures, 
the  United  States,  being  a  young  nation  with  un- 
limited territory,  had  everything  to  gain,  and  Eng- 
land all  to  lose.  Great  Britain  was  first  to  tire  of 
restrictive  measures,  and,  by  a  repeal  on  her  part, 
invited  a  repeal  on  ours. 

In  another  way  Great  Britain  exasperated  the 
popular  feeling  here  against  her,  and  even  forced 
the  American  government,  once  or  twice,  to  the 
verge  of  war.  By  the  treaty  of  peace,  all  military 
posts  held  by  England  within  the  limits  of  the 
United  States  were  to  be  given  up.  Michilimaci- 
nac,  Detroit,  Oswegotche,  Point  au  Fer  and  Dutch- 
man's Point  were  long  held  in  defiance  of  the  com- 
pact. These  posts  became  the  centre  of  intrigues 
among  the  savages  of  the  Northwest.  Arms  were 
here  distributed  to  the  Indians,  and  disturbances  on 
the  American  frontier  were  fomented.  The  war 
on  the  Miami,  which  was  brought  to  a  bloody  close 
by  Wayne's  victory,  was,  principally,  the  result 
of  such  secret  machinations.  In  short,  England 
regarded  the  treaty  of  1783  as  a  truce  rather  than 
a  pacification,  and  long  held  to  the  hope  of  being 
able  yet  to  punish  the  colonies  for  their  rebellion. 
In  two  celebrated  letters  written  by  John  Adams 


64  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

from  Great  Britain,  he  used  the  following  decided 
language  in  reference  to  the  secret  designs  of  T^ng- 
land: 

"  If  she  can  bind  Holland  in  her  shackles,  and 
France  from  internal  dissensions  is  unable  to  inter- 
fere, she  will  make  war  immediately  against  us. " 
This  was  in  1787.  Two  years  before  he  had  ex- 
pressed the  same  ideas.  "  Their  present  system, 
as  far  as  I  can  penetrate  it, "  he  wrote,  "  is  to  main- 
tain a  determined  peace  with  all  Europe,  in  order 
that  they  may  war  singly  against  America,  if  they 
should  think  it  necessary. " 

A  sentiment  of  such  relentless  hostility,  which 
no  attempt  was  made  to  disguise,  but  which  was 
arrogantly  paraded  on  every  occasion,  could  not 
fail  to  exasperate  those  feelings  of  dislike  on  the 
part  of  America,  which  protracted  war  had  engen- 
dered. This  mutual  hatred  between  the  two  na- 
tions arose  from  the  enmity  of  the  people  rather 
than  of  the  cabinets,  "  There  is  too  much  reason  to 
believe, "  wrote  our  minister,  "  that  if  the  nation 
had  another  hundred  million  to  spend,  they  would 
soon  force  the  ministry  into  another  war  with  us. " 
On  the  side  of  the  United  States,  it  required  all 
the  prudence  of  Washington,  sustained  by  his  hold 
on  the  affections  of  the  people,  to  restrain  them 
from  a  war  with  England,  after  that  power  had  re- 
fused to  surrender  the  military  posts. 


BRITISH  CRUISERS.  65 

A  third  element  of  discord  arose  when  England 
joined  the  coalition  against  France,  in  1793.  The 
course  which  the  former  had  pursued  for  the  pre- 
ceding ten  years,  had,  as  we  have  seen,  tended  to 
alienate  the  people  of  America  from  her  and  nour- 
ish sentiments  of  hostility  in  their  bosoms.  On 
the  other  hand,  France,  with  that  address  for  which 
she  is  eminent,  had  labored  to  heighten  the  good 
feelings  already  existing  between  herself  and  the 
United  States.  A  treaty  of  alliance  and  commerce 
bound  the  two  countries;  but  the  courteous  de- 
meanor of  France  cemented  us  to  her  by  still 
stronger  ties,  those  of  popular  will. 

Before  the  revolution  broke  out  in  Paris,  the 
enthusiasm  of  America  toward  France  could  scarce 
be  controlled.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that,  if  the 
subsequent  excesses  had  not  alarmed  all  prudent 
friends  of  liberty,  the  people  of  this  country  could 
not  have  been  restrained  from  engaging  in  the 
struggle  between  France  and  England;  but  the 
reign  of  terror,  backed  by  the  insolence  of  Citizen 
Genet  the  minister  of  the  French  republic,  and 
afterward  by  the  exactions  of  the  Directory, 
checked  the  headlong  enthusiasm  that  otherwise 
would  have  embroiled  us  in  the  terrible  wars  of 
that  period.  In  his  almost  more  than  human  wis- 
dom, Washington  had  selected  a  course  of  strict 
neutrality,  from  which  public  enthusiasm,  nor  fear 
5 


66  SUSTAINED  HONOR 

of  loss  of  public  favor  could  swerve  him.  His 
course  was  wise  and  proper  for  the  still  weak  con- 
federacy ;  and  every  day  was  productive  of  events 
which  showed  the  wisdom  of  this  decision.  Neither 
Great  Britain  nor  France,  however,  was  gratified 
by  this  neutrality.  Each  nation  wished  the  aid 
of  the  Americans,  and  became  arrogant  and  in- 
sulting when  they  found  the  resolution  of  the 
Americans  unbroken.  Napoleon,  on  the  part  of 
France,  saw  the  impolicy  of  such  treatment,  and 
when  he  became  first  consul,  he  hastened  to  aban- 
don it;  but  England  relaxed  little  or  nothing. 
Circumstances,  moreover,  made  her  conduct  more 
irritating  than  that  of  France,  and  hence  prolonged 
and  increased  the  exasperation  felt  toward  her  in 
America. 

As  a  great  naval  power,  the  policy  of  England 
has  been  to  maintain  certain  maritime  laws,  which 
her  jurists  claim  to  be  part  of  the  code  of  nations 
and  enforce  in  her  admiralty  courts.  One  princi- 
ple of  these  laws  is  this,  that  warlike  munitions  must 
become  contraband  in  war;  in  other  words,  that  a 
neutral  vessel  cannot  carry  such  into  the  enemy's 
port.  Hence,  if  a  vessel,  sailing  under  the  flag  of 
the  United  States,  should  be  captured  on  the  high 
seas,  bound  for  France,  during  the  prevalence  of 
a  war  between  that  power  and  England,  and  be 
found  to  be  laden  with  ship-timber  or  other  manu- 


BRITISH  CRUISERS.  67 

factored  or  unmanufactured  articles  for  warlike 
purposes,  the  vessel  would,  by  the  law  of  nations, 
become  a  prize  to  the  captors.  The  right  to  con- 
demn a  ship  carrying  such  contraband  goods  has 
always  been  recognized  by  civilized  nations,  and, 
indeed,  it  is  founded  in  common  justice.  England, 
however,  having  supreme  control  at  sea,  and  being 
tempted  by  the  hope  of  destroying  the  sinews  of 
her  adversary's  strength,  resolved  to  stretch  this 
rule  so  as  to  embrace  provisions  as  well  as  muni- 
tions of  war.  She  proceeded  gradually  to  her 
point.  She  first  issued  an  order,  on  the  8th  of 
June,  1793,  for  capturing  and  bringing  into  port 
"  all  vessels  laden,  wholly  or  in  part  with  corn, 
flour,  or  meal,  and  destined  to  France,  or  to  other 
countries,  if  occupied  by  the  arms  of  that  nation." 
Such  vessels  were  not  condemned,  nor  their  cargoes 
seized ;  but  the  latter  were  to  be  purchased  on  be- 
half of  the  English  Government ;  or,  if  not,  then 
the  vessels,  on  giving  due  security,  were  allowed 
to  proceed  to  any  neutral  port.  Of  course  the  price 
of  provisipns  in  France  and  in  England  was  ma- 
terially different,  and  'a  lucrative  traffic  for  the 
United  States  was,  in  this  way^  destroyed.  More- 
over, this  proceeding  was  a  comparative  novelty  in 
the  law  of  nations,  and,  however  it  might  suit  the 
purposes  of  Great  Britain,  it  was  a  gross  outrage 
on  America.  In  November  of  the  same  year,  it 


68  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

was  followed  by  a  still  more  glaring  infraction  of 
the  rights  of  neutrals,  in  an  order,  condemning  to 
capture  and  adjudication  all  vessels  laden  with  the 
produce  of  any  French  colony,  or  with  supplies  for 
such  a  colony. 

The  fermentation  in  consequence  of  this  order 
rose  to  such  a  height  in  America,  that  it  required 
all  the  skill  of  Washington  to  avert  a  war.  The 
president,  however,  determining  to  preserve  peace 
if  possible,  despatched  Jay  to  London  as  a  minister 
plenipotentiary,  by  whose  frank  explanations,  re- 
dress was  in  a  measure  obtained  for  the  past,  and 
a  treaty  negotiated,  not,  indeed,  adequate  to  jus- 
tice, but  better  than  could  be  obtained  again,  when 
it  expired  in  1806. 

The  relaxation  in  the  rigor  of  the  order  of  No- 
vember, 1793,  soon  proved  to  be  more  nominal 
than  real ;  and  from  1794:  until  the  peace  of  Amiens 
in  1802,  the  commerce  of  the  United  States  con- 
tinued to  be  the  prey  of  British  cruisers  and  pri- 
vateers. After  the  renewal  of  the  war,  the  fury  of 
the  belligerents  increased,  and  with  it  the  stringent 
measures  adopted  by  Napoleon  and  Great  Britain. 
The  French  Emperor,  boldly  avowing  his  intention 
to  crush  England,  forbade  by  a  series  of  decrees, 
issued  from  Berlin,  Milan  and  Rambouillet,  the 
importation  of  her  commodities  into  any  part  of 
Europe  under  his  control;  and  England,  equally 


BRITISH  CRUISERS.  69 

sweeping  in  her  acts,  declared  all  such  ports  in  a 
state  of  blockade,  thus  rendering  any  neutral  vessel 
liable  to  capture,  which  should  attempt  to  enter 
them.  The  legality  of  a  blockade,  where  there  is 
not  a  naval  power  off  the  coast  competent  to  main- 
tain such  blockade,  has  always  been  denied  by  the 
lesser  maritime  powers.  Its  effect,  in  the  present 
instance,  was  virtually  to  exclude  the  United  States 
from  foreign  commerce.  In  these  extreme  meas- 
ures, Napoleon  and  England  were  equally  censured ; 
but  the  policy  of  the  latter  affected  the  Americans 
far  more  than  the  former.  The  exasperation 
against  Great  Britain  became  extreme  and  pervaded 
the  whole  community;  that  against  France  was 
slighter  and  confined  to  the  more  intelligent.  Na- 
poleon was  first  to  begin  these  outrages  on  the 
rights  of  neutrals;  but  his  injustice  was  practically 
felt  only  on  land ;  while  England  was  first  to  in- 
troduce the  paper  blockade,  a  measure  ruinous 
to  American  merchants.  This  was  finally  done 
on  May  16,  1806,  when  Great  Britain  announced 
a  "  blockade  of  the  coast  rivers  and  ports,  from  the 
river  Elbe  to  the  port  of  Brest  inclusive. "  On  the 
21st  of  November,  of  the  same  year,  Napoleon  in 
retaliation,  issued  a  decree  from  Berlin,  placing 
the  British  Islands  in  a  state  of  blockade.  This 
decree  was  followed  by  a  still  more  stringent  order 
in  council  on  the  part  of  England. 


70  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

It  now  became  necessary  for  the  United  States 
either  to  engage  in  a  war,  or  to  withdraw  her  com- 
merce from  the  ocean.  The  popular  voice  de- 
manded the  former  course.  Though  France  was, 
in  the  abstract,  as  unjust  as  England,  her  oppres- 
sive measures  did  not  affect  American  commerce, 
and  hence  the  indignation  of  the  people  was  di- 
rected chiefly  against  Great  Britain ;  but  with  the 
president  it  was  different.  Though  his  sympathies 
were  with  France,  his  judgment  was  against  her  as 
well  as  England.  In  his  maturer  wisdom,  he  could 
now  appreciate  the  great  good  sense  of  Washing- 
ton's neutrality.  Besides,  the  grand  old  man 
Thomas  Jefferson  was  determined  to  preserve  peace, 
for  it  was  his  favorite  maxim  that  "  the  best  war 
is  more  fatal  than  the  worst  peace. "  A  further 
reason  led  him  to  refuse  the  alternative  of  war. 
He  was  not  without  hope  that  one  or  both  of  the 
belligerents  would  return  to  reason  and  repeal  the 
obnoxious  acts,  if  the  conduct  of  the  United  States, 
instead  of  being  aggressive,  should  be  patient. 
Actuated  by  these  views,  the  president  recom- 
mended to  congress  the  passage  of  an  embargo  act. 
An  embargo  law  was  enacted  in  December,  1807. 
By  it  all  American  vessels  abroad  were  called 
home,  and  those  in  the  United  States  were  pro- 
hibited from  leaving  port.  In  consequence  of  this 
measure,  the  commerce  of  the  country  was  anni- 


BRITISH  CRUISERS.  71 

hilated  in  an  hour;  and  harbors,  once  flourishing 
and  prosperous,  soon  became  only  resorts  for  rot- 
ting ships.  There  can  be  no  question  now  that 
the  embargo  was  a  serious  blunder.  It  crippled 
the  American  resources  for  the  war  that  ensued ; 
made  the  eastern  States  hostile  to  Jefferson's,  as 
well  as  his  successor's  administration,  and  tended 
to  foster  in  the  minds  of  the  populace  at  large,  an 
idea  that  we  shrank  from  a  contest  with  Great 
Britain  in  consequence  of  inherent  weakness. 

There  was  a  fourth  and  last  cause  of  exaspera- 
tion against  England,  which  assisted  more  than  all 
the  rest  to  produce  the  war  of  1812.  This  was  the 
British  claim  to  the  right  of  impressment.  In  the 
terrible  struggles  in  which  England  found  herself 
engaged  with  France,  her  maritime  force  was  her 
chief  dependence,  and  accordingly  she  increased  the 
number  of  her  ships  unprecedentedly ;  but  it  soon 
became  difficult  to  man  all  these  vessels.  The 
thriving  commerce  pursued  by  the  United  States, 
as  early  as  1793,  drew  large  numbers  of  English 
seamen  into  our  mercantile  marine  service,  where 
they  obtained  better  wages  than  on  board  English 
vessels.  By  the  fiction  of  her  law,  a  man  born  an 
English  subject  can  never  throw  off  this  allegiance. 
Great  Britain  determined  to  seize  her  seamen  wher- 
ever found  and  force  them  to  serve  her  flag.  In 
consequence,  her  cruisers  stopped  every  American 


72  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

vessel  they  met  and  searched  the  crew  in  order  to 
reclaim  the  English,  Scotch  or  Irish  on  board. 
Frequently  it  happened  that  persons  born  in  Amer- 
ica were  taken  as  British  subjects ;  for,  where  the 
boarding  officer  was  judge  and  jury  of  a  man's 
nationality,  there  was  little  chance  of  justice,  es- 
pecially if  the  seaman  was  a  promising  one,  or  the 
officer's  ship  was  short-handed.  In  nine  months, 
during  parts  of  the  years  1796  and  1797,  the 
American  minister  at  the  court  of  London  had 
made  application  for  the  discharge  of  two  hundred 
and  seventy -one  native  born  Americans,  proved  to 
have  been  thus  impressed.  These  outrages  against 
personal  independence  were  regarded  among  the 
great  masses  of  Americans  with  the  utmost  indig- 
nation. Such  injuries  exasperated  every  soul  not 
made  sordid  by  selfish  desire  for  gain.  That  an 
innocent  man,  peacejably  pursuing  an  honorable  vo- 
cation, should  be  forcibly  carried  on  board  a  Brit- 
ish man-of-war,  and  there  be  compelled  to  remain, 
shut  out  from  all  hope  of  ever  seeing  his  family, 
seemed,  to  the  robust  sense  of  justice  in  the  popu- 
lar breast,  little  better  than  Algerian  bondage.  The 
rage  of  the  people  was  increased  by  tales  of  horror 
and  aggression  that  occasionally  reached  their  ears 
from  these  prison  ships.  Stories  were  told  of  im- 
pressed Americans  escaping  the  ships,  who,  on 
being  recaptured,  were  whipped  until  they  died. 


BRITISH  CRUISERS.  73 

In  one  instance,  a  sailor,  goaded  to  madness,  seized 
the  captain  and,  springing  overboard,  drowned  him- 
self and  his  tormentor. 

Every  attempt  to  arrange  this  difficulty  with 
England  had  signally  failed.  The  United  States 
offered  that  all  American  seamen  should  be  regis- 
tered and  provided  with  a  certificate  of  citizenship ; 
that  the  number  of  crews  should  be  limited  by  the 
tonnage  of  the  ship,  and  if  this  number  was  ex- 
ceeded, British  subjects  enlisted  should  be  liable 
to  impressment;  that  deserters  should  be  given  up, 
and  that  a  prohibition  should  be  issued  by  each 
party  against  clandestinely  secreting  and  carrying 
off  the  seamen  of  the  other.  In  1800  and  again  in 
1806,  it  was  attempted  to  form  treaties  in  refer- 
ence to  this  subject ;  but  the  pertinacity  with  which 
England  adhered  to  her  claim  frustrated  every  effort 
at  reconciliation.  In  1803,  the  difficulty  had  nearly 
been  adjusted  by  a  convention,  Great  Britain  agree- 
ing to  abandon  her  claim  to  impressment  on  the 
high  seas,  if  allowed  to  retain  it  on  the  narrow 
seas,  or  those  immediately  surrounding  her  island; 
but  this  being  rejected  as  inadmissible  by  the 
United  States,  all  subsequent  efforts  at  an  arrange- 
ment proved  unsuccessful.  The  impressment  of 
seamen  continued  and  was  the  source  of  daily  in- 
creasing abuse.  Not  only  Americans,  but  Danes, 
Swedes,  Germans.  Russians,  Frenchmen,  Spaniards 


74  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

and  Portuguese  were  seized  and  forcibly  carried  off 
by  British  men-of-war.  There  are  even  well  at- 
tested instances  of  Asiatics  and  Africans  being 
thus  impressed.  In  short,  as  the  war  in  Europe 
approached  its  climax,  seamen  became  more  scarce 
in  the  British  Navy,  and,  all  decency  being  thrown 
aside,  crews  were  filled  up  under  color  of  this  claim, 
regardless  even  of  the  show  of  justice.  In  1811, 
it  was  computed  that  the  number  of  men  impressed 
from  the  American  marine  service  amounted  to  not 
less  than  six  thousand. 

In  the  spring  of  1807,  a  crisis  approached.  A 
small  British  squadron  lay  in  American  waters 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  watching 
some  French  frigates  blockaded  at  Annapolis. 
Three  of  the  crew  of  one  of  the  vessels  and  one  of 
another  had  deserted  and  enlisted  on  board  the 
United  States  frigate  Chesapeake,  lying  at  the 
Washington  Navy  yard.  The  British  minister 
made  a  formal  demand  for  their  surrender.  Our 
government  refused  compliance  because  it  was  as- 
certained that  two  of  the  men  were  natives  of  the 
United  States,  and  there  was  strong  presumptive 
evidence  that  a  third  was,  likewise.  No  more  was 
said ;  but  the  commander  of  the  British  squadron 
took  the  matter  into  his  own  hands. 

The  Chesapeake,  on  going  to  sea  on  the  morning 
of  June  22,  1807,  was  intercepted  by  the  British 


BRITISH  CRUISERS.  75 

frigate  Leopard,  whose  commander  hailed  the  com- 
modore and  informed  him  that  lie  had  a  despatch 
for  him.  Unsuspicious  of  unfriendliness,  the 
Chesapeake  was  laid  to,  when  a  British  boat,  bear- 
ing a  lieutenant,  came  alongside.  Barren  politely 
received  him  in  his  cabin,  when  the  lieutenant  pre- 
sented a  demand  from  the  commander  of  the  Leopard 
that  the  bearer  be  allowed  to  muster  the  crew  of 
the  Chesapeake,  that  he  might  select  and  carry  away 
the  deserters.  The  demand  was  authorized  by  in- 
structions received  from  Vice-Admiral  Berkeley, 
at  Halifax.  Barron  told  the  lieutenant  that  his 
crew  should  not  be  mustered,  excepting  by  his 
own  officers,  when  the  lieutenant  withdrew  and  the 
Chesapeake  moved  on. 

Having  some  fear  of  mischief,  Barron  made  some 
preparation  to  resist;  but  it  was  too  late  to  prepare 
to  cope  with  the  Leopard,  which  followed  close  in 
her  wake,  and  the  commander  called  out  through 
his  trumpet : 

"  Commodore  Barron  must  be  aware  that  the 
vice-admiral's  commands  must  be  obeyed.'1  The 
Chesapeake  held  on  her  course  although  this  was 
repeated.  The  Leopard  sent  two  shots  athwart  her 
bows.  These  were  followed  by  a  broadside  poured 
into  the  hull  of  the  Chesapeake.  The  American 
vessel,  having  no  priming  in  her  guns,  was  unable 
to  return  the  fire,  and  after  being  severely  bruised 


76  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

by  repeated  broadsides  she  surrendered  to  her  as- 
sailants. Her  crew  was  mustered  by  the  British 
officers  and  the  deserters  carried  away.  One  of 
them,  a  British  subject,  was  hanged  at  Halifax 
and  the  others,  being  Americans,  were  spared  on 
their  consenting  to  enlist  in  the  English  Navy. 
Commodore  Barron  was  tried  on  charge  of  neglect 
of  duty  in  not  being  prepared  for  action,  found 
guilty,  and  suspended  from  the  service  for  five 
years  without  pay  or  emolument. 

On  March  4,  1809,  Mr.  James  Madison  of  Vir- 
ginia succeeded  Mr.  Thomas  Jefferson  as  president 
of  the  United  States.  His  cabinet  were  Robert 
Smith,  secretary  of  state;  Albert  Gallatin.  secre- 
tary of  the  treasury ;  William  Eustis,  secretary  of 
war;  Paul  Hamilton,  secretary  of  the  navy,  and 
Ca3sar  Rodney,  attorney -general.  There  was  a 
powerful  party  in  the  nation  hostile  to  his  political 
creed,  and  consequently  opposed  to  his  adminis- 
tration and  the  war  with  England  which  seemed 
inevitable. 

French  and  English  nations  became  more  em- 
broiled in  trouble,  which  increased  the  trouble  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Great  Britain. 

At  last  the  English  government  sent  men-of-war 
to  cruise  off  the  principal  ports  of  the  United 
States  to  intercept  American  merchant-vessels  and 
send  them  to  England  as  lawful  prizes.  In  this 


BRITISH  CRUISERS,  77 

business,  the  Little  Belt,  a  British  sloop-of-war,  was 
engaged  off  the  coast  of  Virginia  in  the  spring  of 
1811,  where,  on  the  16th  of  April,  she  met  the 
American  frigate  President,  under  Captain  Ludlow, 
bearing  the  broad  pennant  of  Commodore  Rodgers. 
Commodore  Rodgers,  being  aboard  the  President, 
hailed  the  sloop  and  asked : 

"  What  sloop  is  that?" 

A  cannon-shot  was  his  reply. . 

"  Captain  Ludlow, "  said  the  commodore,  "  we 
will  teach  that  fellow  good  manners.  Are  your 
guns  in  order?" 

"  They  are. " 

"  We  have  been  taught  a  lesson  by  Barren's 
mishap.  Train  the  guns  and  be  ready  to  fire. " 

With  a  speaking  trumpet,  the  commodore  once 
more  hailed  the  sloop  with : 

"What  sloop  is  that?" 

This  time  he  was  greeted  with  a  broadside. 

"Fire!"  cried  the  commodore,  and  the  cannon 
of  the  President  sent  a  broadside  of  heavy  shot 
against  the  impudent  stranger. 

The  conflict  lasted  only  about  ten  minutes,  when 
Captain  Bingham,  after  losing  eleven  killed  and 
twenty-one  wounded,  gave  a  satisfactory  answer. 
The  vessels  parted  company,  the  Little  Belt  sailing 
for  Halifax  for  repairs. 

It  was  in  the  year  1809  that  the  American  brig 


78  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Dover,  one  of  the  few  of  American  merchant  vessels 
which  had  managed  to  escape  the  ruin  of  Jeffer- 
son's embargo  act,  was  sailing  among  the  lesser 
Antilles.  The  master-captain  Parson  was  a  thor- 
ough seaman  with  a  heart  as  big  as  an  ox. 

British  cruisers  were  a  greater  bugbear  to  Amer- 
ican vessels  than  pirates,  and  Captain  Parson  kept 
a  constant  lookout  for  them. 

On  the  afternoon  of  an  Autumnal  day,  when  he 
found  himself  becalmed  off  a  small  island  not  down 
on  the  chart*  the  skipper  felt  no  little  uneasiness. 
He  paced  his  deck  impatiently,  occasionally  turn- 
ing his  eye  to  every  quarter,  surveying  the  horizon 
for  some  sign  of  a  gale  of  wind. 

"Mr.  Brown,  Mr.  Brown,"  he  called  to  his 
mate. 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir, "  answered  Mr.  Brown,  hurrying 
forward. 

"  Mr.  Brown,  look  across  that  point  of  land  sou- 
west  the  island — get  your  glass. " 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir!" 

The  mate  ran  and  got  his  glass.  He  came  back 
to  the  captain  and  leveled  it  in  the  direction  indi- 
cated by  the  captain. 

"  Do  you  see  anything?" 

"I  do,  sir." 

"What  is  it?" 

"  I  see  the  top  gallant  of  a  ship. " 


BRITISH  CRUISERS.  79 

"  I  thought  I  was  not  mistaken.  Can  you  make 
out  her  colors?" 

u  I  will  go  aloft,  captain,  and  see." 

The  mate  "ascended  to  the  foretop  cross-tree,  and 
took  a  long  survey  of  the  stranger.  When  he  de- 
scended the  captain  asked: 

"What  is  she?" 

"  An  English  frigate. " 

"  I  knew  it!"  growled  the  captain.  "I  felt  it 
in  my  bones.  We  shall  have  the  rascals  overhaul- 
ing us  anon.  Egad,  I  wish  we  had  an  armed  crew 
and  heavy  guns — I  would  not  wait  for  congress  to 
declare  war. " 

"  But  captain,  while  this  dead  calm  lasts,  she 
cannot  move  more  than  ourselves." 

"  Very  true,  Mr.  Brown,  but,  egad,  she  will 
catch  the  breeze  first,  and  come  up  with  it.  Thank 
heaven  we  have  no  man  aboard  our  ship  born  out 
of  the  United  States.  They  cannot  impress  any 
for  Englishmen." 

The  mate  answered : 

"  They  care  little  whether  we  are  English  or 
American  born ;  if  they  are  short  of  hands,  they 
will  take  such  of  our  crews  as  they  want. " 

The  captain  paced  the  deck  uneasily,  occasion- 
ally muttering: 

"  Zounds,  don't  I  wish  I  had  a  few  heavy  guns.'1 

There  was  but  one  small  brass  piece  aboard,  and 


80  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

it  was  only  a  six  pounder,  unable  to  render  much 
service.  His  country  was  nominajly  at  peace  with 
Great  Britain;  but  that  did  not  prevent  honest 
merchantmen  suffering  at  the  hands  of  the  British 
cruisers. 

The  afternoon  wore  away  and  the  sun  had  set 
before  there  was  breeze  enough  to  fill  a  sail.  Just 
as  the  vessel  began  to  glide  slowly  away  from  the 
small  island  not  more  than  two  miles  distant,  the 
mate,  who  had  ascended  to  the  lookout's  position 
cried: 

"Boat,  ho!" 

"Where  away?" 

"  To  leeward,  heading  direct  for  us. 

The  captain  seized  his  glass  and  turned  it  toward 
the  island.  The  sombre  shades  of  twilight  had  al- 
ready gathered  over  the  scene ;  but  he  saw  through 
them  quite  distinctly  a  boat  pulled  by  four  men, 
while  a  fifth  sat  in  the  stern  holding  the  tiller. 
The  steersman  kept  the  small  island  between  them 
and  the  vessel  Captain  Parson  had  discovered. 

As  the  breeze  grew  stiffer  and  the  Dover  began 
to  fill  away,  the  mate,  who  had  never  taken  his 
glass  off  the  approaching  boat,  suddenly  cried : 

"  Captain  Parson,  they  are  signalling  us  to  heave 
to!" 

"  So  they  are,  by  zounds ! "  the  puzzled  captain 
exclaimed. 


BRITISH  CRUISERS.  81 

"  What  will  you  do?" 

After  a  moment's  hesitation,  the  captain  said: 

"  Heave  to,  by  Jove,  and  see  what  they  want!" 

The  order  was  given,  and  the  vessel  rocked  idly 
on  the  waves,  while  the  boat  drew  rapidly  nearer. 
At  last  it  was  near  enough  for  them  to  make  out 
the  five  men  dressed  in  the  uniform  of  British 
marines. 

"  Brown,  I  don't  like  this.  Those  fellows  are 
from  his  majesty's  frigate,  there  is  no  doubt,  and 
they  mean  us  trouble. " 

"Wait  and  see,  captain,"  the  mate  answered, 
coming  down  to  the  deck.  "  There  are  but  five  of 
them,  and,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  all  are  unarmed." 
The  deck  by  this  time  was  crowded  with  the  crew, 
all  waiting  in  anxious  expectation  and  dread. 

"  It  am  de  press  gang!"  said  the  cook,  who  was 
a  negro  black  as  the  ace  of  spades  named  Job. 
"  Dey  am  comin'  to  take  off  everybody  dat  looks 
like  a  Britisher.  Golly !  do  I  look  like  a  Brit- 
isher?" 

Notwithstanding  the  gravity  of  the  situation,  a 
smile  flitted  momentarily  over  the  faces  of  the 
officers  and  crew.  The  boat  by  this  time  was  within 
hailing  distance,  though  it  had  grown  so  dark  the 
inmates  of  it  could  be  only  dimly  seen. 

"  Boat,  ahoy!"  cried  the  captain. 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir!"  came  back  the  response. 
6 


82  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"What  boat  is  that?" 

"  A  boat  from  his  majesty's  ship  the  &a-  Winy. 
We  wish  to  come  aboard  your  vessel." 

When  the  captain  asked  them  their  business, 
they  frankly  confessed  that  they  were  deserters  and 
had  been  secreted  all  day  on  the  island  watching 
an  opportunity  to  reach  the  American  brig. 

Their  story  was  a  probable  one,  and  the  captain 
and  his  officers  believed  it.  A  rope  was  tossed  to 
them,  and  in  a  few  moments  five  stalwart  jack  tars 
in  the  uniform  of  the  British  Navy  stood  on  the 
deck. 

One  tall,  fine-looking  seaman,  who  was  every 
inch  a  gentleman,  and  whose  conversation  was 
evidence  of  education  and  refinement,  told  their 
story. 

Three  of  them  were  Americans,  and  two  were 
Swedes.  They  had  been  seized  by  the  press  gang 
and  made  slaves  on  board  the  frigate. 

"  It  has  been  many  years, "  said  the  tall  sailor, 
"  since  I  saw  my  native  land.  I  am  a  native  of 
Hartford,  Connecticut." 

"  Why  didn't  you  escape  sooner?"  the  Captain 
asked. 

"  Escape,  captain,  is  no  easy  matter,  and  is  at- 
tended with  serious  consequences.  They  usually 
hang  one  who  tries  to  desert.  I  am  a  gunner,  by 
profession,  and  but  for  the  fact  they  need  my  ser- 


BRITISH  CRUISERS.  83 

vices  against  the  French,  I  would  have  been  hung 
long  since  for  trying  to  desert." 

The  gunner  impressed  Captain  Parson  favorably. 
He  was  a  man  between  forty  and  forty -live  years 
of  age.  His  eyes  were  deep  blue,  his  hair  light. 
His  round,  full  face  was  smooth  shaven.  As  he 
stood  on  the  deck,  his  brawny  arms  folded  across 
his  massive  chest,  he  looked  a  perfect  model  of  a 
man  and  a  tower  of  strength. 

Captain  Parson  led  him  aside  and  said : 

"  You  are  no  common  sailor. " 

"I'm  only  a  gunner  now,  captain." 

"But  in  the  past?" 

"  I  once  commanded  a  ship.  I  will  tell  you  my 
story  on  the  morrow.  It  is  a  sad  one,  but,  thank 
God,  there's  nothing  in  it  at  which  I  need  blush. 
For  the  present,  however,  let  us  get  along  as  fast 
as  your  ship  can  make  it,  for  the  Sea-  Wing  is  a 
swift  vessel,  and  if  we  are  not  beyond  reach  of  her 
vision  before  the  dawn  of  day,  we  shall  be  over- 
hauled." 

Captain  Parson  knew  that  some  evil  consequences 
might  result  from  being  overhauled  by  the  Sea- 
Wing,  and  consequently  every  stitch  of  canvas  was 
spread  and  the  brig  sped  away  with  a  good  stiff 
breeze.  It  was  a  long  and  anxious  night;  master 
and  crew  were  all  on  deck.  No  one  slept.  The 
coming  dawn  would  tell  the  story.  If  the  frigate 


84  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

were  in  sight,  then  they  might  expect  the  very 
worst ;  even  the  ship  might  be  captured  and  borne 
away  as  a  prize  and  the  entire  crew  enslaved. 

Dawn  came  at  last.  Each  anxious  heart  wel- 
comed and  yet  dreaded  to  see  the  new  day.  Sail- 
ors and  officers  swept  the  sea  as  it  grew  lighter, 
and,  to  their  dread,  just  as  the  sun  rose  over  the 
glossy  surface  of  the  sea,  a  snowy  speck  appeared 
far  off  to  the  westward. 

The  lookout  at  the  mast-head  first  called  their 
attention  to  it,  and  as  it  drew  nearer  and  nearer 
the  tall  handsome  gunner  went  aloft  with  a  glass 
to  see  if  he  could  recognize  it.  In  a  few  moments 
he  came  back  and  said: 

"  It  is  the  frigate,  sir. " 

That  she  was  in  full  chase,  there  could  not  be  a 
doubt.  Captain  Parson  had  little  hope  of  escap- 
ing ;  but  he  put  the  Dover  on  her  best  sailing  point 
and  scudded  away  before  the  wind  with  every  stitch 
of  canvas  they  could  carry. 

"Oh,  golly!  I  hope  dey  won't  mistake — dey 
won't  mistake  dis  chile  for  a  Britisher!"  groaned 
Job  the  cook,  who  was  trembling  from  head  to 
foot,  and  whose  black  skin  was  almost  pale. 

The  five  deserters  were  pale  but  calm.  They 
seemed  to  read  their  fate  and  bore  it  like  men.  A 
flogging  was  the  very  least  they  could  expect;  but 
the  chances  were  that  every  one  would  hang.  The 


BRITISH  CRUISERS.  85 

frigate  was  the  swifter  sailor  and  overhauled  them 
so  rapidly,  that,  in  two  hours  and  a  half,  she  was 
within  a  mile  of  the  brig. 

Suddenly  a  wreath  of  white  smoke  curled  up 
from  the  forecastle,  and  a  moment  later  a  ball  came 
skipping  over  the  water  under  their  larboard  deck, 
while  the  boom  of  a  cannon  sounded  over  the  sea. 
As  the  fine  spray  clipped  from  the  crested  waves 
by  the  shot,  flew  over  the  deck,  Mr.  Brown  said: 

"  Captain,  it's  no  use,  she  will  be  near  enough 
to  sink  us  in  ten  minutes. " 

"  Heave  to,  Brown.  Oh !  I  wish  I  had  arms 
and  a  crew!" 

"Captain,"  interposed  the  tall,  handsome  gun- 
ner, "  I — I  know  their  skill  and  metal.  If  you 
had  a  gun — a  single  gun  of  proper  calibre,  I  could 
sink  her.  I  am  called  the  best  shot  in  the  English 
navy. " 

"We  have  only  a  six  pounder,"  answered  the 
captain,  ruefully,  pointing  to  their  only  gun.  It 
was  but  an  inferior  piece,  and  when  the  gunner 
examined  it,  he  turned  to  his  four  anxious  com- 
panions and  said : 

"  It  would  be  suicide. " 

Then  the  five  sailors  stood  near  the  main  gang- 
way with  arms  folded,  heads  erect,  and  resigned 
like  brave  men  to  their  fate.  The  frigate  came 
bearing  down  upon  them  like  a  great  mountain, 


88  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

and  soon  lay  alongside.  The  captain  and  a  score 
of  marines  all  armed  with  muskets,  came  aboard. 

"  So  ho!"  cried  the  captain,  "  you  have  my  five 
runaways  snug  enough.  Seize  them  and  carry 
them  aboard,  lieutenant. " 

A  young  officer  with  ten  men  now  seized  the 
five  deserters,  handcuffed  them  and  led  them  to 
their  ship  which  lay  alongside.  As  they  went 
over  the  rail,  the  brutal  captain  said  something 
about  swinging  at  the  yard  arm.  Turning  to  Par- 
son, he  said: 

"  Captain,  muster  your  crew  and  have  them  pass 
before  me. " 

Much  as  the  captain  disliked  to  do  so,  he  was 
in  the  power  of  the  brutal  Englishman  and  forced 
to  do  his  bidding.  As  the  sailors  passed  slowly 
before  him,  the  Briton  eyed  each  carefully.  Sud- 
denly he  pointed  to  a  stout  young  sailor  named 
Tom,  and  cried: 

"  Stop  sir,  you  are  an  Englishman!" 

"  I  am  not,  capen,  ye's  mistaken,  I  was  born 
at  Plymouth,  Massachusetts. " 

"  Don't  dispute  my  word,  sir.  I  know  you, 
seize  him!" 

Though  three  of  Tom's  messmates  offered  to 
swear  that  he  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  he 
was  seized,  ironed  and  hurried  away.  Two  more 
were  selected,  despite  the  protests  of  Captain  Par- 


BRITISH  CRUISERS. 


87 


son,  who  was  raging  like  a  madman,  and  hurried 
aboard  the  frigate.  The  fourth  man  halted  in 
the  procession  was  Job,  the  colored  cook.  / 

"Stop,  sir,  I  want  you!"    said  the       / 
English  officer. 

"Want  me,  Capen?  oh,  golly'    T 
ain't  a  Britisher!"    cried   Job, 
gesticulating  wildly.     "  Do  I 
look  like  I  war  a  Britisher? 


"DO  YOU  THINK  DAB  IS  ANY 
ANGLER  SAXUN  BLOOD  IN 
DESK  VEINS  ?  " 

Do  you  think  dar  is  any 
Angler  Sacksun  blood  in 
dese  veins?" 

Job  howled  and  appealed  in   vain.     The  com- 
mander of  the  Sea   Wing  declared  him  to  be  an 


88  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

English  negro,  and  he  was  hurried  away  to  try  the 
hard  service  on  board  a  British  war  vessel. 

Having  culled  the  crew  of  the  Dover  to  his  heart's 
content,  the  haughty  Briton  went  aboard  his  own 
ship  and  continued  his  cruise,  leaving  Captain 
Parson  expressing  his  ideas  in  such  language  as  no 
parson  should  use. 


CHAPTER   V. 

FERXAXDO'S   JOURNEY    EAST.       HE    MEETS   WITH 
QUEER    PEOPLE. 

FROM  the  day  Fernando  Stevens  began  to  read 
and  learn  of  the  great  world  beyond  the  narrow 
confines  of  his  western  home,  he  was  filled  with 
the  laudable  ambition  to  know  more  about  it.  The 
solitude  of  the  wilderness  may  be  congenial  for 
meditation ;  but  it  is  in  the  moving  whirl  of  hu- 
manity that  ideas  are  brightened.  Fernando  was 
promised  that  if  he  would  master  the  common 
school  studies  taught  in  their  log  schoolhouse,  he 
should  be  sent  to  one  of  the  eastern  cities  to  have 
his  education  completed.  Albert  Stevens,  the 
lad's  father,  was  becoming  one  of  the  most  prosper- 
ous farmers  of  the  west.  He  had  purchased  sev- 
eral tracts  of  land  which  rapidly  increased  in  value, 
and  his  flocks  and  herds  multiplied  marvelously. 
He  was  in  fact  regarded  as  "  rich"  in  those  days  of 
simplicity.  He  had  sent  several  flatboats  loaded 
with  grain  down  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  to  New 
Orleans  and  sold  the  cargoes  at  great  profit,  so  that, 

89 


90  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

in  addition  to  his  fields,  his  stock  and  houses,  he 
had  between  three  and  four  thousand  dollars  in 
money. 

Fernando  grew  to  be  a  tall,  slender  youth,  and  in 
1806  having  finished  his  education,  so  far  as  the 
west  could  afford,  his  father  determined  to  send 
him  to  the  East,  where  it  was  hoped  he  would  de- 
velop into  a  lawyer  or  a  preacher.  The  mother 
hoped  the  latter.  His  brother  and  sister  had  grown 
up,  married  and  were  settled  on  farms  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, taking  on  the  same  existence  of  their 
parents;  living  honest,  peaceful  and  unambitious 
lives. 

The  youth  Fernando  was  more  inclined  to  men- 
tal than  physical  activity,  and  his  parents,  possess- 
ing an  abundance  of  common  sense,  decided  not  to 
force  him  to  engage  in  an  occupation  distasteful  to 
him. 

What  school  should  he  enter?  was  a  question 
which  the  father  long  debated.  There  were  Har- 
vard and  Yale,  both  famous  seats  of  learning,  and 
there  were  any  number,  of  academies  all  over  the 
country.  Captain  Stevens  finally  decided  to  allow 
the  youth  to  make  his  own  selection,  giving  him 
money  sufficient  to  take  a  little  tour  in  the  eastern 
States,  before  settling  down. 

Captain  Stevens  had  a  well-to-do  neighbor,  who 
lived  across  Bear  Creek,  by  the  name  of  Winners. 


FERNANDO'S  JOURNEY  EAST.  91 

Old  Zeb  Winners  was  one  of  those  quaint  products 
of  the  West.  He  was  an  easy-going  man,  pro- 
verbially slow  of  speech  and  movement,  and  cer- 
tainly the  last  person  on  earth  one  would  expect  to 
become  rich;  yet  he  was  wealthy.  With  all  his 
slothfulness  he  was  shrewd,  and  could  drive  a 
better  bargain  than  many  men  twice  as  active  in 
mind  and  body.  One  morning  after  it  had  become 
noised  abroad  that  Fernando  was  going  away  to 
college,  Mr.  Winners  rode  up  to  the  house  on  his 
big  sorrel  mare,  her  colt  following,  and,  dismount- 
ing, tied  the  mare  to  the  rail  fence  and  entered  the 
gate. 

"  Good  mornin',  cap 'in,  good  mornin',"  said  the 
visitor. 

"  Come  in,  Mr.  Winners.  Glad  to  see  you. 
Hope  you  are  all  well !" 

"  Oh,  yes,  middlin'  like, "  answered  the  farmer 
entering  the  house  without  the  ceremony  of  remov- 
ing his  hat.  A  chair  was  offered,  and  he  sat  for 
a  moment  with  his  hands  spread  out  before  the 
fireplace,  his  hat  still  on  his  head.  There  was  no 
fire  in  the  fireplace,  for  it  was  late  in  May ;  but 
Mr.  Winners  held  his  hands  before  it,  from  habit. 

"Wall,  cap'in,  I  do  hear  as  how  yer  goin'  ter 
send  yer  boy  Fernando  to  college. " 

"lam." 

"  Wall,  that  air  a  good  notion.     Now  I  ain't 


92  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

got  no  book  larnin'  myself;  but  I  don't  object  to 
nobody  else  gittin'  none.  I've  made  up  my  mind 
to  send  one  of  my  boys  along  with  'im,  ef  ye've 
no  objection. " 

Of  course  Captain  Stevens  had  no  objection. 
Which  of  his  boys  was  he  going  to  send? 

"  I  kinder  thought  az  how  I'd  send  Sukey. " 

Sukey  was  a  nickname  given  a  tall,  lazy  youth 
named  Richard  Winners.  Why  he  had  been  nick- 
named Sukey  we  have  never  been  able  to  ascertain ; 
but  the  sobriquet,  attached  to  him  in  childhood, 
clung  to  him  all  through  life.  Sukey  was  like  his 
father,  brave,  slow,  careful,  but  a  steadfast  friend 
and  possessed  of  considerable  dry  humor.  He  took 
the  world  easy  and  thought  "  one  man  as  good  as 
another  so  long  as  he  behaved  himself. " 

It  was  arranged  that  Sukey  and  Fernando  should 
start  in  a  week  for  New  York,  from  which  point 
they  might  select  any  college  or  school  they  chose. 
The  mail  stage  passed  the  door  of  farmer  Winners, 
crossed  the  big  bridge  and  then  passed  the  home  of 
Captain  Stevens.  Captain  Stevens'  house  was  no 
longer  a  cabin  in  the  wilderness.  It  was  a  large, 
substantial  two-story  farm  mansion,  with  chimneys 
of  brick  instead  of  sticks  and  mud.  The  forests 
had  shrunk  back  for  miles,  making  place  for  vast 
fields,  and  the  place  had  the  appearance  of  a  thrifty 
farm. 


FERNANDO'S  JOURNEY  EAST.  98 

Fernando 's  trunk  was  packed,  and  he  sat  on  the 
door-step  in  his  best  clothes  awaiting  the  appear- 
ance of  the  stage.  At  last  the  rumbling  thunder 
of  wheels  rolling  over  the  great  bridge  smote  his 
ears,  and  a  few  moments  later  the  vehicle  came  up 
to  the  gate.  The  six  prancing  horses  were  drawn 
up,  and  the  vehicle  stopped,  while  the  driver  cried : 

"All  aboard!" 

Sukey  was  in  the  stage,  his  dark  eyes  half  closed. 
He  roused  himself  to  drawl  out : 

"  Come  on,  Fernando,  we're  off  now,  for  sure." 

While  two  farm,  hands,  assisted  by  the  driver, 
placed  the  trunk  in  the  boot,  Fernando  bade  father 
and  mother  adieu.  Sister  had  come  over  with  her 
husband  and  the  baby.  His  brother  with  his 
young  wife  were  present  to  bid  the  young  seekers 
after  knowledge  adieu.  They  followed  Fernando 
to  the  stage  coach  and  cried : 

"  Good  bye,  Sukey !  take  good  care  of  Fer- 
nando!" and  Sukey  drawled  out: 

"Who'll  takekeero'  me?" 

The  last  good  bye's  were  said,  and  the  great 
stage  coach  rolled  on.  The  impressions  of  the 
young  frontiersmen  on  approaching  the  first  town 
were  strange  and  indescribable.  The  number  of 
houses  and  streets  quite  confused  them.  There 
seemed  to  be  little  or  no  order  in  the  construction 
of  streets,  and  everybody  seemed  in  a  bustle  and 


94  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

confusion.  They  stopped  over  night  at  a  tavern, 
and  at  early  dawn  the  stage  horn  awoke  them,  and 
after  a  hasty  breakfast  they  were  again  on  their 
journey. 

Several  weeks  were  spent  in  traveling  from  town 
to  town,  and  on  September  1st,  1807,  they  found 
themselves  in  New  York  City,  still  undecided 
where  they  would  go. 

One  morning  Fernando  went  for  his  usual  walk 
toward  the  river,  when  a  large  crowd  of  people  at 
the  wharf  attracted  his  attention.  Drawing  near, 
he  saw  a  curious-looking  boat  on  the  water,  the 
like  of  which  he  had  never  seen  before.  It  was 
one  hundred  feet  long,  twelve  feet  wide  and  seven 
feet  deep.  There  was  a  staff  or  mast  at  the  bow, 
another  at  the  stern.  From  a  tall  chimney  there 
issued  volumes  of  smoke,  while  from  a  smaller  pipe 
there  came  the  hissing  of  boiling  water  and  white 
steam.  Two  great,  naked  paddle-wheels  were  on 
the  boat,  one  on  each  side  near  the  middle. 
Fernando  thought  this  must  be  the  toy  of  which 
he  had  heard  so  much,  being  constructed  by  Robert 
Fulton  and  Chancellor  Livingston.  On  one  side 
of  the  boat  was  painted  the  name  Clermont. 

"What  is  that?"  Fernando  asked  of  a  rollick- 
ing, fun-loving  young  Irishman  about  twenty-two 
or  three  years  of  age,  who  stood  near. 

"  Faith,  sir,  it's  a  steamboat.     We  have  all  come 


FERNANDO' S  JOURNEY  EAST.  95 

to  see  her  launched.  They  call  her  the  Clermont ; 
but  it's  mesilf  as  thinks  she  ought  to  be  Fulton  s 
Folly,  for  divil  a  bit  do  I  believe  she'll  go  a  cable's 
length." 

Fernando  and  his  new  acquaintance  drew  nearer. 
The  hissing  of  the  steam  and  the  roaring  of  the 
furnaces  were  fearful. 

"  Do  you  know  Eobert  Fulton?"  Fernando  asked. 

"  Indade,  I  do.  Would  you  like  to  see  the 
greatest  lunatic  out  of  Bedlam?  Then  it's  mesilf 
as  will  point  him  out  to  yez. " 

"  I  should  like  to  see  him. " 

There  were  a  number  of  men  at  work  on  the 
boat,  all  expressing  the  wildest  eagerness  and  anx- 
iety. They  were  rushing  forward  and  aft,  above 
and  below,  to  those  ponderous  engines  and  boilers ; 
but  no  one  could  see  what  they  did.  At  last  Mr. 
Fulton,  the  great  inventor,  appeared.  He  was  a 
large,  smooth-shaved  gentleman,  with  a  long  head 
and  melancholy  gray  eye.  On  his  nose  was  a  smut 
spot  from  the  machinery.  Thousands  were  now 
assembled  to  witness  the  trial  voyage.  Mr.  Liv- 
ingston gave  the  order  to  cast  off,  and  start  the 
vessel.  The  lines  were  loosed  and  the  steam 
turned  on.  Loud  hissed  the  confined  monster; 
but  the  wheels  did  not  move.  What  was  the 
matter? 

"  Failure!"  was  on  every  tongue,  and  the  crowd 


96 


SUSTAINED  HONOR. 


assembled  already  began  to  hoot  and  jeer.  Mr. 
Fulton's  face  expressed  the  deepest  anxiety. 
He  ran  below  to  inspect  the  machinery.  A  bolt 
had  caught.  This  was  removed,  and  then  the 
ponderous  wheels  began  to  move.  The  great  pad- 
dles churned  the  water  to  a  mass  of  foam,  and  the 
boat  glided  forward  against  wind  and  tide  at  a  rate 
of  speed  astonishing.  Fernando  saw  Robert  Liv- 
ingston standing  in  the  stern  waving  his  handker- 
chief at  the  crowd  which  was  now  sending  up  cheer 
after  cheer.  The  American  flag  was  run  up  on  the 
staff,  and  the  steamboat  continued  on  her  course 
up  the  river  to  Albany,  making  the  distance  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  miles  in  thirty-six  hours  against 
wind  and  tide;  and  from  that  time  until  now, 
navigation  by  steam,  travel  and  commerce,  has 
been  steadily  increasing  in  volume  and  perfection, 
until  such  vessels  may  be  seen  on  every  ocean  and 
in  almost  every  harbor  of  the  globe,  even  among 
the  ice  packs  of  the  polar  seas.  This  was  the  sec- 
ond of  the  great  and  beneficent  achievements  which 
distinguished  American  inventors  at  that  early 
period  of  our  country's  struggles.  The  cotton- 
gin,  invented  by  Eli  Whitney,  was  the  first;  an 
implement  that  could  do  the 
work  of  a  thousand  persons 
in  cleaning  cotton  wool  of 
the  seeds.  That  machine 


FERNANDO' S  JOURNEY  EAST.  97 

has  been  one  of  the  most  important  aids  in  the  ac- 
cumulation of  our  national  wealth. 

Fernando  Stevens  stood  on  the  wharf  among  the 
assembled  thousands,  watching  the  steamer  until  it 
disappeared  far  up  the  river.  He  was  lost  in  won- 
der and  amazement  and  was  first  aroused  from  his 
reverie  by  the  young  man  at  his  side  saying : 

"  Don't  she  bate  the  divil?" 

It  was  his  skeptical  Irish  friend. 

Fernando  turned  to  him  and  asked,  "  What  do 
you  think  of  it  now?" 

u  Faith,  she's  a  bird,  so  she  is.  Don't  she  cleave 
the  water?" 

From  this  time,  the  two  became  acquainted,  and 
Fernando  learned  that  the  young  Hibernian's  name 
was  Terrence  Malone.  Terrence  was  a  true  Irish- 
man of  the  good  old  type.  He  was  brave  as  a  lion, 
full  of  native  wit  and  humor,  and  }ret  an  intelli- 
gent gentleman.  From  the  first,  he  took  a  great 
fancy  to  Fernando  and  when  he  learned  that  he 
had  come  from  the  West  to  enter  some  academy  or 
college,  he  informed  him  that  he  knew  of  the  place 
— the  very  place.  It  was  the  Baltimore  Academy. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Baltimore  school  himself, 
and  he  was  sure  there  was  not  another  like  it  in 
the  world.  In  short,  the  dashing  young  Irishman 
soon  persuaded  Fernando  to  try  the  Baltimore 
school. 
7 


98  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

He  went  back  to  the  tavern  where  he  had  left 
Sukey  writing  letters. 

"  What  was  all  that  catterwaulin'  and  yellin' 
about  down  at*the  river?"  Sukey  asked. 

"  The  new  steamboat  began  her  trial  trip, "  an- 
swered Fernando. 

"  Wonder  if  that  thing  I  saw  with  a  stovepipe 
in  it  was  a  steamboat?" 

"  It  was. " 

Sukey  shook  his  head  sagely  and  remarked : 

"It  don't  look  as  if  it  would  ever  amount  to 
much. " 

"  Sukey,  I  have  found  a  school  for  us  at  last. " 

"Where?" 

"  At  Baltimore. " 

"  What  d'you  want  to  go  there  for?" 

"  I  met  a  young  man  who  belongs  there,  and  he 
advised  us  to  go. " 

"Who  is  he?" 

"  His  name  is  Terrence  Malone,  an  Irishman. " 

"  That  name's  not  French  any  way.  How  are 
we  going  to  Baltimore?" 

"  A  schooner  sails  to-morrow." 

"  Can  we  go  in  her?" 

"Yes." 

"  Plague  take  the  sea !  I  never  tried  it,  and  I 
don't  want  to." 

"  It  will  be  a  short,  voyage. " 


FERNANDO' 'S  JOURNEY  EAST.  99 

"  Short,  yes,  but  long  enough  to  make  me  sick. 
I  don't  want  to  be  in  the  game.  I  am  not  a  water 
dog.  Keep  me  on  the  dry  land,  and  I'm  all  right. " 

But  Fernando  knew  that  a  journey  by  land  would 
take  much  longer  than  by  sea.  Terrence  Malone 
came  to  see  them  that  evening  and  informed  them 
that  the  schooner  would  sail  next  day.  He  was  a 
jolly  young  fellow  and  had  so  many  droll  stories 
and  jokes,  that  he  kept  his  companions  in  a  roar 
of  laughter.  One  joke  followed  another  in  such 
rapid  succession  that  the  youngsters  had  scarce  done 
laughing  at  one,  before  he  fired  another  at  them. 

"  Baltimore  is  the  most  wonderful  city  in  the 
world,  barin  Cork,"  the  fair-haired  son  of  the 
Emerald  Isle  declared.  "  There  you  find  gallant 
gintlemen  and  the  prettiest  girls  on  earth.  Ah ! 
if  you  could  but  see  my  Kitty  Malone!  She's  a 
beauty,  just  a  trifle  older  than  mesilf,  but  every 
inch  a  darlint.  Her  head  is  red,  her  face  a  trifle 
freckled,  her  body's  so  stout  that  the  girt  of  a 
mule  wouldn't  encircle  her  waist,"  and  here  Ter- 
rence winked.  "  She  plays  on  the  wash-board  an 
illigant  tune,  for  which  she  charges  a  half  a  dime 
a  garment. " 

"  Did  you  ever  meet  with  such  a  jolly  fellow?" 
laughed  Fernando  when  he  was  gone. 

"No,"  Sukey  answered.  "He  has  made  my 
sides  ache. " 


100  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Next  day  found  the  westerners  on  board  the 
schooner  sailing  out  from  the  harbor  of  New  York. 
The  skipper  was  half  tipsy,  his  crew  insubordinate, 
and  for  awhile  no  one  seemed  to  know  or  care 
whither  they  went.  The  captain  had  such  frequent 
recourse  to  his  demijohn,  that  it  was  evident  that 
he  would  soon  be  wholly  unfit  for  duty.  At  last 
Terrence  declared  he  would  have  to  take  matters 
in  hand  himself. 

The  sea  was  rough,  and  both  Fernando  and 
Sukey  were  too  sick  to  leave  their  bunks  long  at 
the  time. 

"  Jist  ye  lie  still  there,  like  a  darlint,  and  lave 
the  skipper  to  me,"  said  Terrence  to  Fernando. 
"  Not  another  divil  of  a  drop  shall  he  have,  until 
we  are  safe  in  Baltimore. " 

Then  he  went  away,  leaving  Fernando  wholly  in 
ignorance  of  his  plan.  At  last,  becoming  anxious 
about  him,  he  went  out  to  see  what  he  was  doing. 
The  schooner  was  rolling  heavily  and  Fernando 
was  so  sick  he  could  scarcely  stand,  yet  he  crept 
out  under  the  lee  of  the  cabin  and  saw  a  sight  that 
made  him  smile. 

Terrence  and  the  captain  were  sitting  on  the 
deck  playing  cards.  The  young  Irishman  had  won 
two  demijohns  and  three  jugs  of  rum  from  the 
captain,  and  he  was  now  playing  for  the  last  pint 
flask  the  skipper  possessed.  The  young  Irishman 


FERNANDO'S  JOURNEY  EAST.  101 

won  it  and  carried  his  property  to  his  stateroom, 
and  when  the  skipper  next  applied  for  a  drink, 
Malone  answered : 

"  Divil  a  drop  will  ye  get,  till  we  are  safe  in 
Baltimore."  The  captain  plead  in  vain.  Terrence 
was  firm,  and  the  skipper  in  time  became  sober. 

Next  morning  it  was  discovered  that  owing  to 
the  drunkenness  and  carelessness  of  the  captain 
and  crew,  they  had  drifted  far  out  to  sea.  The 
waves  rolled  high,  and  the  little  schooner  plunged 
about  in  a  manner  frightful  to  a  landlubber. 

Fernando  was  awakened  by  a  groan.  It  was 
Sukey,  and  going  to  his  berth  Terrence  asked: 

"  What's  the  matter,  Sukey?" 

"  I  am  dying!"  he  answered. 

"  Courage,  courage,  me  boy,  ye'll  get  over  it." 

"  I  don't  want  to  get  over  it,"  answered  Sukey, 
with  a  hollow  groan. 

A  few  moments  later  the  skipper  came  to  beg 
for  a  morning  dram. 

"  Divil  a  drop,  cap'in,  until  we  are  in  Baltimore. " 

"  How  long  will  it  take  to  reach  Baltimore,  cap- 
tain?" asked  the  sea-sick  Sukey. 

"  Twenty-four  hours. " 

"Oh,  Heavens!"  groaned  Sukey.  "Can't  you 
sink  the  ship?" 

"What  do  you  want  to  sink  for?"  demanded 
the  astounded  skipper. 


103  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"  I'd  rather  drown  than  live  twenty-four  hours 
longer  in  this  blamed  boat. " 

"  You'll  live  over  it,"  growled  the  thirsty  skipper. 

"  I  don't  want  to  live  over  it.     I  want  to  die. " 

Terrence  roared  with  laughter,  then  he  told  a 
funny  story  which  seemed  to  increase  the  pangs 
of  poor  Sukey. 

By  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  Fernando  had 
recovered  enough  to  go  out  on  deck.  He  found 
the  captain  and  his  crew  huddled  up  in  the  fore 
part  of  the  deck,  discussing  a  large,  square-rigged 
ship,  which  was  bearing  toward  them.  He  heard 
one  of  the  sailors  say : 

"  She  flies  English  colors. " 

A  little  later  there  was  a  puff  of  smoke  from  her 
forecastle  and  a  ball  dashed  into  the  water  athwart 
their  bow. 

"  It's  a  cruiser,  and  that  means  to  heave  to;  but 
blow  my  eyes  if  I  do  it!"  cried  the  captain,  who 
was  opposed  to  search  and  impressment.  He  put 
the  schooner  about  and,  with  all  sail  spread,  flew 
over  the  water  at  a  rate  of  speed  which  defied  pur- 
suit. The  cruiser  fired  several  shots  after  them. 

"Who  is  that  shootin'?"  Sukey  asked  uncon- 
cernedly, as  Fernando  entered  the  wretched  cabin. 

"  A  British  man-of-war." 

"  What  is  it  shootin'  at?" 

"At  us." 


FERNANDO'S  JOURNEY  EAST.  103 

"  I  hope  she  will  hit  us  and  put  me  out  o'  this 
misery,"  groaned  Sukey. 

Fortunately  for  the  chief  characters  of  this  story, 
the  man-of-war  did  not  hit  them,  and  next  day 
they  reached  Baltimore.  Sukey  recovered  his 
health  with  remarkable  rapidity,  and  a  few  hours 
on  shore  made  him  quite  himself. 

Terrence,  who  seemed  to  know  the  town  thor- 
oughly, conducted  them  to  an  inn  where  they  were 
to  remain  until  arrangements  could  be  made  for 
entering  the  school.  Terrence  took  the  two  young 
men  under  his  care  in  a  fatherly  way,  assuring  them 
it  would  be  bad  luck  to  any  who  spoke  ill  of  them ; 
but  Terrence  could  not  be  with  them  for  several 
days.  He  had  urgent  business  in  Philadelphia, 
which  would  require  his  absence. 

For  a  week  after  their  arrival  at  Baltimore,  their 
lives  were  of  the  most  dreary  monotony.  The 
rain,  which  had  begun  to  fall  soon  after  their  ar- 
rival, continued  to  descend  in  torrents,  and  they 
found  themselves  close  prisoners  in  the  sanded  par- 
lors of  the  miserable  inn.  They  could  but  com- 
pare this  wretched  place  with  the  grand  old  forests 
and  broad  prairies  of  the  West,  and  Sukey  began 
to  sigh  for  home. 

"Are  you  homesick  already,  Sukey?"  asked 
Fernando. 

"  I  am  not  homesick — blast  such  a  place  as  this 


104  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

— give  me  a  country  where  it  don't  rain  365  days 
out  o'  the  year,  and  I'm  content,  home  or  abroad," 
growled  Sukey. 

Their  situation  was  by  no  means  pleasant.  Their 
front  window  looked  out  upon  a  long,  straggling, 
ill -paved  street,  with  its  due  proportion  of  mud 
heaps  and  duck  pools.  The  houses  on  either  side 
were,  for  the  most  part,  dingy-looking  edifices, 
with  half-doors,  and  such  pretensions  to  being 
shops  as  the  display  of  a  quart  of  meal,  salt,  or 
string  of  red  peppers  confers.  A  more  wretched, 
gloomy -looking  picture  of  woe-begone  poverty  one 
seldom  beheld. 

It  was  no  better  if  they  turned  for  consolation 
to  the  rear  of  the  house.  There  their  eyes  fell 
upon  the  dirty  yard  of  a  dirty  inn,  and  the  half- 
covered  cowshed,  where  two  famishing  animals 
mourned  their  hard  fate  as  they  chewed  the  cud  of 
"  sweet  and  bitter  fancy. "  In  addition,  they  saw  an 
old  chaise,  once  the  yellow  postchaise,  the  pride 
and  glory  of  the  establishment,  now  reduced  from 
its  wheels  and  ignominiously  degraded  to  a  hen 
house.  On  the  grass-grown  roof,  a  cock  had  taken 
his  stand,  with  an  air  of  protective  patronage  to 
the  feathered  inhabitants  beneath. 

Sukey  stood  at  the  narrow  window  gazing  out 
on  the  dreary  and  melancholy  scene,  while  he 
heaved  an  occasional  sigh. 


FERNANDO'S  JOURNEY  EAST.  105 

"  If  this  is  what  you  call  gitten  an  education  I 
don't 'want  it,"  he  drawled  at  last.  "I  would 
rather  go  back  to  Ohio  and  hunt  for  deer  or  black 
bear,  than  enjoy  such  amusement  as  this  is." 

"  Oh,  it  will  get  better,"  said  Fernando. 

"  It  has  great  room  for  growing  better. " 

"  But  it  might  be  worse. " 

"  Yes,  we  might  be  at  sea. " 

Their  landlady,  a  portly  woman  with  two  mar- 
riageable daughters,  did  all  in  her  power  to  make 
their  stay  pleasant.  She  praised  Baltimore  for  its 
beauty  and  health,  its  picturesqueness  and  poetry. 
It  was  surely  destined  to  be  the  greatest  city  in  the 
United  States. 

When  they  were  alone,  Sukey  pointed  to  the 
mud  heaps  and  duck  pools  and  gravely  asked : 

"  Do  they  show  the  poetry  and  picturesk  of  which 
she  speaks?  Is  that  old  chaise  a  sign  of  health  or 
prosperity  ?  " 

"  Be  patient,  Sukey ;  we  have  seen  little  or  none 
of  Baltimore. " 

"  Plague  take  me  if  I  haven't  seen  more  than  I 
want  to  see  of  it  now, "  growled  Sukey. 

At  last  the  weather  cleared  a  little,  and  the  sun 
shone  brilliantly  on  the  pools  of  water  and  muddy 
street.  The  young  gentlemen  strolled  forth  to  look 
about  the  town. 

When  about  to  start  from  the  inn,  Sukey  asked : 


106  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"Say,  Fernando,  how  are  we  goin'  to  find  our 
way  back?" 

This  was  a  serious  question  for  even  Fernando. 
He  reflected  over  it  a  moment  and  then  said : 

"  It's  the  house  at  the  foot  of  the  second  hill  with 
the  road  or  street  that  winds  around  the  cliff. " 

"  Wouldn't  it  be  better  to  take  hatchets  and 
blaze  the  corners  of  the  houses  as  we  go  along?" 
suggested  Sukey.  Fernando  smiled  and  thought 
the  owners  might  raise  some  serious  objections  to 
having  their  houses  blazed.  They  were  still  some- 
what undecided  in  regard  to  the  matter,  when  their 
landlady,  with  a  movement  about  as  graceful  as 
the  waddle  of  a  duck,  came  down  the  rickety  stairs, 
and  they  in  despair  appealed  to  her.  She  relieved 
them  of  their  trouble  in  short  order.  On  a  piece  of 
tin  over  her  door  was  the  number  611.  She  told 
them  the  name  of  the  street,  and  assured  them  if 
they  would  remember  that  and  the  number,  any 
one  would  point  it  out  to  them.  Besides  they  had 
only  to  remember  the  widow  Mahone,  everybody 
in  the  town  knew  the  widow  Mahone. 

With  this  assurance  of  safe  return,  the  two 
youngsters  ventured  forth  into  the  city.  They 
were  not  as  verdant  as  the  reader  may  imagine. 
Both  had  been  reared  in  the  western  wilderness 
and  retained  much  of  the  pioneer  traits  about  them ; 
but  books  had  been  society  for  them,  and  their 


FERNANDO' S  JOURNEY  EAST.  107 

four  months  spent  in  New  York  and  Boston  had 
given  them  an  urbane  polish.  Sukey,  however, 
had  many  inherent  traits,  which  all  the  schools 
could  not  wholly  eradicate. 

"I  don't  like  towns,"  he  declared,  as  they  as- 
cended a  hill,  which  gave  them  an  excellent  view 
of  the  harbor  and  shipping.  "  They  are  too  close. 
I  want  elbow  room,  and  as  soon  as  I  get  through 
my  college  course,  I  am  going  back  to  the  woods. " 

"  Won't  your  education  be  lost  there?" 

"No;  can't  I  be  a  lawyer,  or  a  doctor,  or  a 
preacher  as  well  there  as  here?  Besides,  if  we 
only  sit  down  and  wait  awhile  in  Ohio,  the  cities 
will  come  to  us. " 

"  Yes,  Sukey,  you  are  right.  Civilization  is 
going  West,  and  in  course  of  time  the  largest  part 
of  the  republic  will  be  west  of  the  mountains. "  Of 
course  Fernando  referred  to  the  Alleghany  Moun- 
tains, for  the  Rocky  Mountains  were  hardly  thought 
of  at  this  date.  "  But  come;  we  don't  seem  to  be 
in  the  most  populous  part  of  the  town.  Let  us  go 
over  the  hill  where  the  houses  are  better  and  look 
cleaner. " 

"  I  am  willing,  for,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  this 
place  smells  too  much  of  the  sea. " 

They  went  along  a  narrow  street,  which  had  a 
decidedly  fishy  odor,  for  there  were  two  markets 
on  it.  They  passed  an  old  woman  carrying  on  her 


108  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

back  a  great  bag  which  seemed  filled  with  rags  and 
waste  papers  gathered  up  from  the  refuse  of  the 
street.  Sukey  wondered  if  that  was  the  way  she 
made  her  living.  At  the  corner  was  a  low  public 
house  in  which  were  some  sailors  drinking  and 
singing  songs. 

"  Fernando,  there  is  a  fellow  with  a  plaguy  red 
coat  on!"  suddenly  cried  Sukey,  seizing  his  com- 
panion's arm. 

"  Yes,  he  is  an  officer  of  the  English  army  or 
navy." 

"  Do  they  allow  him  here  ?  " 

"  Of  course ;  we  are  at  peace  with  England. " 

"  Well,  I'd  like  to  take  that  fellow  down  a  bit. 
He  walks  too  straight.  Why  he  thinks  he  could 
teach  Alexander  somethin'  on  greatness. " 

"  Never  mind  him ;  come  on. " 

Next  they  met  a  party  of  half-drunken  marines, 
who  began  to  chafe  them,  and  Sukey,  though  slow 
to  wrath,  was  about  to  give  them  an  exhibition  of 
frontier  muscle,  when  his  friend  got  him  away,  and 
they  hastened  to  a  better  part  of  the  city. 

Here  they  found  beautiful  residences,  and  on 
the  next  street  were  magnificent  stores  and  shops. 
Elegant  carriages,  drawn  by  horses  in  shining  har- 
ness, indicating  wealth,  were  seen.  Elegantly 
dressed  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  premenading  the 
street,  or  exchanging  congratulations.  Sukey 


FERNANDO' S  JOURNEY  EAST.  109 

thought  this  would  "  sort  o'  do, "  and  he  wondered 
why  Terrence  Malone  had  quartered  them  down  in 
that  miserable  frog  pond,  when  there  was  higher 
ground  and  better  houses. 

While  standing  on  the  corner  watching  the  gay 
equipages  and  handsomely  dressed  people,  a  car- 
riage drawn  by  a  pair  of  snow-white  horses  came 
suddenly  dashing  down  the  street.  The  equipage, 
though  one  of  the  finest  they  had  ever  seen,  was 
stained  with  travel  as  if  it  had  come  from  a  dis- 
tance. 

"  There,  Fernando,  by  zounds,  there  is  some  rich 
fellow  you  can  be  sure!"  said  Sukey  as  the  vehicle 
drove  by.  "  Egad !  I  would  like  to  see  who  is  in- 
side of  it. " 

He  had  that  privilege,  for  the  carriage  paused 
only  half  a  block  away,  and  an  elderly  man  with  a 
rolling,  sailor-like  movement  got  out  and  assisted 
a  young  girl  of  about  sixteen  to  alight. 

"  Jehosophat — Moses  and  Aaron's  rod,  my  boy! 
do  you  see  her?"  gasped  Sukey. 

"Yes." 

"Ain't  she  pretty?" 

"  Hush !  she  may  hear  you. " 

"  Well,  if  she'd  get  mad  at  that,  she  is  different 
from  most  girls. " 

"  Her  father  might  not  think  it  much  of  a  com- 
pliment. " 


110  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

The  coachman,  closing  the  door  of  the  carriage 
mounted  his  box  and  took  the  reins,  while  the  pretty 
girl  took  her  father's  arm  and  came  down  the  street 
passing  the  young  men,  who,  we  fear,  stared  at  her 
rudely.  They  were  hardly  to  be  blamed  for  it,  for 
she  was  as  near  perfection  as  a  girl  of  sixteen  can 
be.  Tall,  willowy  form,  with  deep  blue  eyes,  soft 
as  a  gazelle's,  long,  silken  lashes  and  arched  eye- 
brows, with  golden  hair,  and  so  graceful  that  every 
movement  might  be  set  to  music. 

Fernando  gazed  after  her  until  she  disappeared 
into  a  fashionable  shop,  and  then,  uttering  a  sigh, 
started  as  if  from  a  dream. 

"What  do  you  say  now,  old  fellow?"  asked 
Sukey. 

"  Let  us  go  home. " 

"Home?" 

"  Well,  back  to  the  widow  Mahone's  inn. " 

"  All  right ;  now  let  us  try  to  find  the  trail. " 

It  was  no  easy  matter,  although  they  had  the 
street  and  number  well  fixed  in  their  mind.  Fi- 
nally they  asked  a  watchman  (policemen  were  called 
watchmen  in  those  days)  and  he  conducted  them 
to  the  abode  of  Mrs.  Mahone. 

The  first  person  to  greet  them  was  Terrence. 
There  was  a  bright  smile  on  his  jolly  face  as  he 
cried: 

"  It's  right  plazed  I  am  to  see  ye  lookin*  so 


FERNANDO' S  JOURNEY  EAST. 


Ill 


cheerful,  boys;  and  it's  a  good  time  ye  be  having 
roaming  the  streets  and  looking  at  the  beauty  of 
Baltimore.  Much  of  it  you'll  find,  to  be  sure. 


AS  NEAR  PERFKCTION   AS  A   GIRL  OF  SIXTEEN  CAN  BE. 


To-morrow  we'll  go  to  the  academy,  pay  our  en- 
trance fee  and  begin  business.  " 

"  Terrence,  "  said  Fernando  in  a  half  whisper, 
"  Can't  we  find  a  more  comfortable  place  than  this 
to  live  in?" 


112  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"  Oh,  be  aisy,  me  frind,  for  it's  an  illegant  a 
house  I've  got  for  all  of  us,  and  we'll  be  as  com- 
fortable there  as  a  banshee. 

Not  knowing  what  a  "  banshee"  was,  Fernando, 
of  course,  could  draw  no  conclusion  from  the  com- 
parison. When  the  three  young  men  had  entered 
their  room,  Terrence  began  to  tell  them  of  a  beau- 
tiful "  craythur"  he  had  that  day  seen  in  town,  and 
on  inquiry  learned  she  lived  a  few  miles  away  on 
the  coast.  She  was  the  daughter  of  an  old  sea 
captain  and  came  almost  daily  to  the  city. 

"  What  is  her  name?"  asked  Fernando. 

"Lane." 

"  Great  Jehosiphat,  Fernando !  Lane  was  on 
that  carriage  we  saw,"  cried  Sukey,  starting  sud- 
denly from  a  couch  on  which  he  had  been  reclining. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

WAR    FEELING    OF    1811. 

MR.  JAMES  MADISON  seems  to  have  been  one  of 
the  many  great  Americans  capable  of  changing  his 
political  views  without  losing  public  favor.  Mr. 
Madison,  as  a  delegate  to  the  constitutional  con- 
vention held  at  Philadelphia  in  May,  1787,  was 
beyond  question  a  Federalist.  Of  the  convention, 
a  writer  of  the  highest  authority  says : 

"  Mr.  Madison  was  prominent  in  advocating  the 
constitution,  and  took  a  leading  part  in  the  debates, 
of  which  he  kept  private  notes,  since  published  by 
order  of  congress.  His  views  in  regard  to  the  fed- 
eral government  are  set  forth  at  length  in  a  paper 
still  extant  in  the  handwriting  of  Gen.  Washing- 
ton. This  paper  contains  the  substance  of  a  letter 
written  to  Washington  by  Mr.  Madison  before  the 
meeting  of  the  convention,  and  proposes  a  scheme 
of  thorough  centralization.  The  writer  declares 
that  he  is  equally  opposed  to  the  individual  inde- 
pendence of  the  States  and  to  'the  consolidation  of 
the  whole  in  one  simple  republic. '  He  is  never- 
8  113 


114  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

theless  in  favor  of  investing  congress  with  power 
to  exercise  a  negative  in  all  cases  whatever  on  the 
legislative  acts  of  the  States,  as  heretofore  exercised 
by  the  kingly  prerogative.  He  says  further  that 
the  right  of  coercion  should  be  expressly  declared ; 
but  the  difficulty  and  awkwardness  of  operating  by 
force  on  the  collective  will  of  a  State  render  it  par- 
ticularly desirable  that  the  necessity  of  it  should 
be  precluded.  From  these  extreme  views,  Mr. 
Madison  afterward  conscientiously  departed;  but 
in  the  convention  he  supported  them  with  zeal 
and  vigor. " 

It  was  feared  at  first  that  Madison  would  per- 
petuate the  policy  of  Jefferson ;  but  the  tone  and 
temper  of  his  inaugural  address,  delivered  March 
4th,  1809,  fell  like  oil  on  troubled  waters.  His 
most  implacable  enemies  could  not  refrain  from 
uttering  words  of  approbation ;  and  the  whole  na- 
tion entertained  hopes  that  his  measures  might 
change  the  gloomy  aspect  of  public  affairs. 

Madison's  administration  was  now  sustained  by 
a  larger  majority  of  the  American  people  than  that 
of  Jefferson  had  ever  been,  and  the  Federalists,  or 
the  opposition,  were  in  a  hopeless  minority.  The 
continued  aggressions  of  the  British  were  increas- 
ing the  Democratic  strength  every  day;  and  in 
1811,  circumstances  seemed  to  make  war  with 
Great  Britain  an  imperative  necessity  for  the  vin- 


WAR  FEELING   OF  1811.  115 

dication  of  the  honor,  rights  and  independence  of 
the  United  States. 

The  Indian  tribes  on  the  northwestern  frontiers 
of  the  United  States  became  very  uneasy,  and  the 
machinations  of  British  traders  and  government 
emissaries  had  stimulated  the  growth  of  that  dis- 
content into  a  decidedly  hostile  feeling  toward  the 
nation  of  Republicans,  then  pressing  upon  the  do- 
main of  the  savages.  The  suspension  of  the  world's 
commerce  had  diminished  the  amount  of  their 
traffic  in  furs,  and  the  rapid  extension  of  Ameri- 
can settlements  northward  of  Ohio  was  narrowing 
their  hunting  grounds  and  producing  a  rapid  dim- 
inution of  game.  The  introduction  of  intoxicating 
liquors  among  the  savages  by  white  traders  and 
speculators  had  widely  spread  demoralization,  with 
consequent  disease  and  death. 

English  emissaries  made  the  savages  to  believe 
that  all  these  evils  had  been  brought  upon  them 
by  the  encroachments  of  the  Americans;  and  in 
the  spring  of  1811,  it  became  evident  that  a  league 
was  forming  among  the  tribes  for  the  extermina- 
tion of  the  frontier  settlers. 

Tecumseh,  the  Shawnee  chief,  shrewd,  crafty 
and  intrepid,  endeavored  to  emulate  Pontiac,  the 
great  Ottowa  chief,  in  the  formation  of  an  Indian 
confederacy  in  the  Northwest,  for  making  war  upon 
the  United  States.  He  had  a  shrewd  twin  brother, 


116  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

called  the  prophet,  whose  mysterious  incantation 
and  predictions  and  pretended  visions  and  spiritual 
intercourse  had  inspired  the  savage  mind  with  great 
veneration  for  him  as  a  wonderful  "  medicine  man. " 
He  and  Tecumseh  possessed  almost  unbounded  in- 
fluence over  the  Delawares,  Shawnees,  Wyandots, 
Miamis,  Kickapoos,  Winnebagoes  and  Chippewas. 
The  celebrated  Shawnee  chief  Tecumseh,  accord- 
ing to  Drake,  was  born  a  few  years  before  the 
Revolution,  at  the  Indian  village  of  Piqua,  on 
Mad  Eiver,  about  six  miles  below  the  site  of 
Springfield,  Clark  County,  Ohio.  His  tribe  re- 
moved from  Florida  about  the  middle  of  the  last 
century.  His  father,  who  was  a  chief,  fell  at  the 
bloody  battle  of  Point  Pleasant,  in  1774.  From 
his  youth,  he  showed  a  passion  for  war.  He  early 
acquired  an  unbounded  influence  over  his  tribe  for 
his  bravery,  his  sense  of  justice  and  his  command- 
ing eloquence.  Like  his  great  prototype,  Pontiac, 
humanity  was  a  prominent  trait  in  his  character. 
He  not  only  was  never  known  to  ill-treat  or  mur- 
der a  prisoner,  but  indignantly  denounced  those 
who  did,  employing  all  his  authority  and  eloquence 
in  behalf  of  the  helpless.  In  1798,  Tecumseh  re- 
moved with  his  followers  to  the  vicinity  of  White 
River,  Indiana,  among  the  Delawares,  where  he 
remained  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1805,  through 
the  influence  of  Laulewasikaw,  the  brother  of  Te- 


WAR  FEELING  OF  1811.  117 

cumseh,  a  large  number  of  Shawnees  established 
themselves  at  Greeneville.  Very  soon  after,  Lau- 
lewasikaw  assumed  the  office  of  a  prophet-  and 
forthwith  commenced  that  career  of  cunning  and 
pretended  sorcery,  which  always  enables  the  shrewd 
hypocrite  to  sway  the  ignorant,  superstitious  mind. 
Throughout  the  year  of  1806,  the  brothers  remained 
at  Greeneville  and  were  visited  by  many  Indians 
from  different  tribes,  not  a  few  of  whom  became 
their  followers.  The  prophet  dreamed  many  won- 
derful dreams  and  claimed  to  have  had  many  super- 
natural revelations  made  him.  The  great  eclipse 
of  the  sun  that  occurred  in  the  summer  of  this 
year,  a  knowledge  of  which  he  had  by  some  means 
attained,  enabled  him  to  carry  conviction  to  the 
minds  of  many  of  his  ignorant  followers,  that  he 
was  really  the  earthly  agent  of  the  Great  Spirit. 
He  boldly  announced  to  the  unbelievers,  that,  on  a 
certain  day,  he  would  give  them  proof  of  his  super- 
natural powers  by  bringing  darkness  over  the  sun. 
When  the  day  and  hour  of  the  eclipse  arrived,  and 
the  earth,  even  at  midday,  was  shrouded  in  the 
gloom  of  twilight,  the  prophet,  standing  in  the 
midst  of  his  party,  significantly  pointed  to  the 
heavens  and  cried  out: 

"Did  I  not  prophesy  truly?  Behold!  darkness 
has  shrouded  the  sun ! " 

It  may  readily  be  supposed  that  this  striking 


118  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

phenomenon,  thus  adroitly  used,  produced  a  strong 
impression  on  the  Indians,  and  greatly  increased 
their  belief  in  the  sacred  character  of  their  prophet. 

In  the  spring  of  1808,  Tecumseh  and  the  prophet 
removed  to  a  tract  of  land  on  the  Tippecanoe,  a 
tributary  of  the  Wabash,  where  the  latter  contin- 
ued his  efforts  to  induce  the  Indians  to  forsake 
their  vicious  habits,  while  Tecumseh  was  visiting 
the  neighboring  tribes  and  quietly  strengthening 
his  own  and  the  prophet's  influence  over  them. 
The  events  of  the  early  part  of  the  year  1810  were 
such  as  to  leave  but  little  doubt  of  the  hostile  in- 
tentions of  the  brothers.  The  prophet  was  appar- 
ently the  most  prominent  actor,  while  Tecumseh 
was  in  reality  the  mainspring  of  all  the  movements, 
backed,  it  is  supposed,  by  the  insidious  influence 
of  British  agents,  who  supplied  the  Indians  gratis 
with  powder  and  ball,  in  anticipation,  perhaps,  of 
hostilities  between  the  two  countries,  in  which 
event  a  union  of  all  the  tribes  against  the  Ameri- 
cans was  desirable.  Tecumseh  had  opposed  the 
sale  and  cession  of  lands  to  the  United  States,  and 
he  declared  it  to  be  his  unalterable  resolution  to 
take  a  stand  against  the  further  intrusion  of  the 
whites  upon  the  soil  of  his  people. 

So  menacing  had  the  Indians  become  in  the 
Spring  of  1810,  that  General  W.  H.  Harrison,  a 
son  of  Benjamin  Harrison,  one  of  the  signers  of 


WAR  FEELING   OF  1811.  119 

the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  then  governor 
of  the  Territory  of  Indiana,  invited  the  brothers  to 
a  council  at  Yincennes,  in  August.  Tecumseh 
appeared  with  four  hundred  \vell-armed  warriors. 
The  inhabitants  were  greatly  alarmed  at  this  dem- 
onstration of  savage  military  power.  Harrison  was 
cool  and  cautious,  while  the  bearing  of  the  chief 
was  bold  and  haughty.  He  refused  to  enter  the 
place  appointed  for  holding  the  council  saying : 

"  Houses  were  built  for  you  to  hold  councils  in ; 
Indians  hold  theirs  in  the  open  air."  He  then 
took  a  position  under  some  trees  in  front  of  the 
house,  and,  unabashed  by  the  large  concourse  of 
white  people  before  him,  he  opened  the  business 
with  a  speech  marked  by  great  dignity  and  native 
eloquence.  When  he  had  concluded,  one  of  the 
governor's  aids  said  to  him,  through  an  interpreter, 
as  he  pointed  to  a  chair  by  the  side  of  General 
Harrison : 

"  Your  father  requests  you  to  take  a  seat  by  his 
side." 

The  chief  drew  his  blanket  around  him  and, 
standing  erect,  said,  with  a  scornful  tone: 

"  My  father !  The  sun  is  my  father,  and  the 
earth  is  my  mother;  on  her  bosom  I  will  recline;" 
and  he  seated  himself  on  the  ground. 

The  chief  declared  it  his  intention  to  form  a 
confederacy  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  any  fur- 


120  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

ther  cessions  of  lands  to  the  white  people,  and  to 
recover  what  had  been  ceded. 

"  Return  those  lands, "  he  said,  "  and  Tecumseh 
will  be  the  friend  of  the  Americans.  He  likes  not 
the  English,  who  are  continually  setting  the  In- 
dians on  the  Americans."  The  governor  replied 
that  the  lands  had  been  received  from  other  tribes, 
and  that  the  Shawnees  had  no  business  to  interfere. 
Tecumseh  sprang  to  his  feet,  cast  off  his  blanket 
and,  with  violent  gestures,  pronounced  the  gov- 
ernor's words  false.  He  accused  the  United  States 
of  cheating  and  imposing  upon  the  Indians ;  and 
then,  giving  a  sign  to  his  warriors  near  him,  they 
sprang  to  their  feet,  seized  their  war  clubs  and 
brandished  their  tomahawks.  The  governor  started 
from  his  seat  and  drew  his  sword,  while  the  citi- 
zens seized  any  weapons  or  missiles  they  could  find. 
It  was  a  moment  of  great  peril  to  the  white  people. 
A  military  guard  of  twelve  men,  under  some  trees 
a  short  distance  off,  was  ordered  up.  A  friendly 
Indian,  who  had  secretly  loaded  his  pistol  while 
Tecumseh  was  speaking,  now  cocked  it  to  shoot 
the  chief.  :  The  guards  were  also  about  to  fire  when 
Harrison  restrained  them  and  prevented  a  bloody 
encounter.  The  interpreter,  whom  all  the  Indians 
respected,  told  Tecumseh  that  he  was  a  bad  man. 
The  council  was  broken  up.  Tecumseh  expressed 
regret  that  his  violent  temper  had  gotten  the  better 


WAR  FEELING   OF  1811.  121 

of  him ;  but  prudent  men  knew  from  his  conduct 
that  war  was  inevitable. 

In  the  spring  of  1811,  the  hostile  savages  began 
to  roam  over  the  Wabash  region,  in  small  parties, 
plundering  the  white  settlers  and  friendly  Indians. 

Soon  after  the  council  at  Vincennes,  Tecumseh 
went  South  among  the  Creeks  to  extend  the  con- 
federacy of  the  people  of  Indiana  among  them. 
There  is  a  tradition  among  the  Tuckabachees  that 
Tecumseh,  failing  to  enlist  them  in  his  enterprise, 
in  his  wrath  said : 

"  When  I  return  to  the  North,  I  will  stamp  on 
the  earth  and  make  it  tremble."  When  the  effects 
of  the  earthquake  of  New  Madrid  were  felt,  the 
Tuckabachees  said : 

"  Tecumseh  has  reached  the  North. " 

The  hostile  demonstrations  on  the  part  of  the 
Indians  in  Indiana  alarmed  the  people  of  that  terri- 
tory, and  General  Harrison  therefore  took  measures 
to  increase  his  regular  force.  He  warned  the  In- 
dians to  obey  the  treaty  at  Greeneville;  but  at  the 
same  time  he  prepared  to  break  up  the  prophet's 
establishment  if  necessary.  In  September,  the 
prophet  sent  assurances  to  the  governor  that  his 
intentions  were  pacific.  About  the  same  time,  he 
dispatched  a  message  to  the  Delawares,  who  were 
friendly,  asking  them  to  join  him  in  a  war  against 
the  United  States,  stating  that  he  had  taken  up  the 


122  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

tomahawk  and  would  not  lay  it  down  but  with  his 
life,  unless  their  wrongs  were  redressed.  The 
Delaware  chiefs  immediately  visited  the  prophet  to 
dissuade  him  from  commencing  hostilities  and  were 
grossly  insulted.  On  the  6th  of  November,  1811, 
Governor  Harrison,  with  about  nine  hundred  and 
fifty  effective  troops,  composed  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  of  the  4th  Regiment  U.  S.  Infantry,  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  volunteers  and  a  body  of  militia, 
being  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  prophet's 
town,  was  urged  to  make  an  immediate  assault 
upon  the  village;  but  this  he  declined,  as  his  in- 
structions from  the  president  were  positive  not  to 
attack  the  Indians  as  long  as  there  was  a  probabil- 
ity of  their  complying  with  the  demands  of  the 
government.  The  Indians,  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  endeavored  to  cut  off  his  messengers  and 
evinced  other  hostile  symptoms,  which  determined 
Harrison  to  at  once  march  upon  the  town,  when  he 
was  met  by  three  Indians,  one  of  them  a  principal 
counselor  of  the  prophet,  who  avowed  that  the 
prophet's  designs  were  pacific.  Accordingly  a 
suspension  of  hostilities  was  agreed  upon,  and  the 
terms  of  peace  were  to  be  settled  on  the  following 
morning  by  the  governor  and  the  prophet's  chief. 
At  night  the  army  encamped  about  three  fourths 
of  a  mile  from  the  prophet's  town. 

The  governor  was  well  convinced  of  the  hostility 


WAR  FEELING  OF  1811.  123 

of  the  prophet.  He  believed  that  after  attempting 
to  lull  his  suspieions  he  intended  to  make  a  treach- 
erous attack  on  the  Americans.  Little  anticipa- 
tion of  a  night  attack  was  indulged,  yet  every  pre- 
caution was  taken  to  resist  one  if  made.  All  the 
guards  that  could  be  used  in  such  a  situation,  and 
all  such  as  were  used  by  Wayne,  were  employed 
on  this  occasion.  That  is,  camp  guards,  furnish- 
ing a  chain  of  sentinels  around  the  whole  camp  at 
such  a  distance  as  to  give  notice  of  the  approach  of 
an  enemy  in  time  for  the  troops  to  take  their  posi- 
tion, and  yet  not  far  enough  to  prevent  the  senti- 
nels from  retreating  to  the  main  body  if  over- 
powered. The  usual  mode  of  stationing  picket 
guards  at  a  considerable  distance  in  advance  of  the 
army  or  camp,  would  be  useless  in  Indian  warfare, 
as  they  do  not  require  roads  to  march  upon,  and 
such  guards  would  be  inevitably  cut  off.  Orders 
were  given  in  the  event  of  a  night  attack,  for  each 
corps  to  maintain  its  position  at  all  hazards  until 
relieved  or  further  orders  were  given  to  it.  The 
whole  army  was  kept  during  the  night  in  the  mili- 
tary position  called  lying  on  their  arms.  The 
regular  troops  lay  in  their  tents  with  their  accou- 
trements on,  and  their  guns  at  their  sides.  The 
militia  had  no  tents,  but  slept  with  their  clothes 
and  bullet  pouches  on,  and  their  guns  under  them, 
to  keep  them  dry.  The  order  of  the  encampment 


124  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

was  a  line  of  battle  to  resist  a  night  attack ;  and 
so,  as  every  man  slept  opposite  to  his  post  in  the 
line,  there  was  nothing  for  the  troops  to  do,  in  case 
of  an  assault,  but  to  rise  and  take  their  position  a 
few  steps  in  the  rear  of  the  fires  around  which  they 
had  reposed.  The  guard  of  the  night  consisted  of 
two  captains'  commands  of  forty-two  men  and  of 
four  non-commissioned  officers  each  and  two  sub- 
alterns' guards  of  twenty  men  and  non-commis- 
sioned officers  each — the  whole  amounting  to  about 
one  hundred  and  thirty  men,  under  command  of  a 
field  officer  of  the  day.  The  night  was  dark  and 
cloudy,  and  after  midnight  there  was  a  drizzling 
rain. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  Nov.  7,  1811, 
Governor  Harrison,  according  to  practice,  had  risen, 
preparatory  to  the  calling  up  of  the  troops,  and  was 
engaged,  while  drawing  on  his  boots  by  the  fire, 
in  conversation  with  General  Wells,  Colonel  Owens, 
and  Majors  Taylor  and  Hurst.  The  orderly  drum 
had  been  roused  to  sound  the  reveille  for  the  troops 
to  turn  out,  when  there  came  the  report  of  a  sen- 
try's rifle  on  the  left  flank,  followed  by  a  score  of 
shots,  and  the  morning  air  rang  loud  with  the  wild 
war-whoops  of  savages. 

In  an  instant  the  army  was  in  line,  the  camp- 
fires  were  extinguished,  and  the  governor  mounted 
his  horse  and  proceeded  to  the  point  of  attack. 


WAR  FEELING   OF  1811.  125 

Several  companies  had  taken  their  places  in  the 
line  within  forty  seconds  after  the  report  of  the 
first  gun,  and  in  two  minutes  the  whole  army  was 
ready  for  action ;  a  fact  as  creditable  to  their  own 
activity  and  bravery,  as  to  the  skill  and  energy  of 
their  officers.  The  battle  soon  became  general, 
and  was  maintained  on  both  sides  with  signal  and 
even  desperate  valor.  The  Indians-  advanced  or 
retreated  by  the  aid  of  a  rattling  noise,  made  with 
deer  hoofs,  and  persevered  in  their  treacherous  at- 
tack with  an  apparent  determination  to  conquer  or 
die  on  the  spot.  The  battle  raged  with  unabated 
fury  and  mutual  slaughter  until  daylight,  when  a 
gallant  and  successful  charge  by  the  troops  drove 
the  enemy  into  the  swamp,  and  put  an  end  to  the 
conflict. 

Prior  to  the  assault,  the  prophet  had  given  his 
followers  assurance,  that,  in  the  coming  contest, 
the  Great  Spirit  would  render  the  arms  of  the 
Americans  unavailing;  that  their  bullets  would  fall 
harmless  at  the  feet  of  thg  Indians;  that  the  latter 
should  have  light  in  abundance,  while  the  former 
would  be  involved  in  thick  darkness.  Availing 
himself  of  the  privilege  conferred  by  his  peculiar 
office,  and,  perhaps,  unwilling  in  his  own  person 
to  test  the  rival  powers  of  a  sham  prophecy  and  a 
real  American  bullet,  he  prudently  took  a  position 
on  an  adjacent  eminence;  and,  when  the  action 


126  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

began,  lie  entered  upon  the  performance  of  certain 
mystic  rites,  at  the  same  time  singing  a  war  song. 
Soon  after  the  engagement  commenced,  he  was  in- 
formed that  his  men  were  falling.  He  told  them 
to  fight  on,  it  would  soon  be  as  he  predicted;  and 
then  in,  wilder  and  louder  strains,  his  inspiring 
battle  song  was  heard  commingling  with  the  sharp 
crack  of  the  rifle  and  the  shrill  war-whoop  of  his 
brave  but  deluded  followers.  Some  of  the  Indians 
who  were  in  the  conflict,  subsequently  informed 
the  agent  at  Fort  Wayne,  that  there  were  more 
than  a  thousand  warriors  in  the  battle,  and  that  the 
number  of  wounded  was  unusually  great.  In  the 
precipitation  of  their  retreat,  they  left  thirty-eight 
on  the  field.  Some  were  buried  during  the  engage- 
ment in  their  town.  Others  no  doubt  subsequently 
died  of  their  wounds.  Drake  places  their  number 
in  killed  at  not  less  than  fifty. 

Of  the  whites,  thirty-five  were  killed  in  the 
action,  and  twenty-five  died  subsequently.  The 
total  number  of  killed  and  wounded  was  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-eight, — probably  as  great  and  pos- 
sibly greater  than  the  loss  of  the  Indians.  Among 
the  slain  were  Colonel  Abraham  Owen  and  Major 
Joseph  Hamilton  Davies  of  Kentucky. 

Though  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  considered  as 
a  conflict  from  the  losses  on  each  side,  would  to- 
day be  regarded  only  as  a  skirmish,  yet  it  had  a 


WAR  FEELING  OF  1811.  127 

great  moral  influence  in  restraining  the  savages  in 
the  northwest,  and,  but  ior  the  meddling  of  the 
British  agents,  a  permanent  peace  with  the  Indians 
could  have  been  established. 

Harrison  burned  the  prophet's  town.  The 
prophet  lost  caste  with  his  people.  When  re- 
proached for  his  falsehoods,  he  cunningly  told  them 
that  his  predictions  had  failed  of  fulfilment,  be- 
cause, during  his  incantations,  his  wife  touched  the 
sacred  vessels  and  broke  the  charm.  His  followers, 
superstitious  as  they  were,  would  not  accept  such 
a  flimsy  excuse  and  deserted  him,  flying  to  secure 
hiding-places  where  the  white  man  could  not  find 
them.  After  his  town  was  burned,  the  prophet 
took  shelter  among  the  Wyandots. 

The  events  in  the  northwest  aroused  a  war  spirit 
among  the  patriotic  Americans,  which  could  not 
be  suppressed.  Not  only  did  British  emissaries 
incite  the  Indians  to  make  war,  but  British  orders 
in  council  continued  to  be  vigorously  enforced. 

V 

Insult  was  offered  to  the  American  flag  by  British 
cruisers,  and  the  press  of  Great  Britain  insolently 
declared  that  the  Americans  "  could  not  be  kicked 
into  a  war. " 

Forbearance  ceased  to  be  a  virtue;  it  became 
cowardice.  President  Madison  found  himself  the 
standard-bearer  of  his  party,  surrounded  by  irre- 
pressible young  warriors  eager  for  fight.  Like  a 


128  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

cautious  commander,  he  sounded  a  careful  war  note 
in  his  annual  message  to  congress  at  the  beginning 
of  November,  1811.  The  young  and  ardent  mem- 
bers of  the  house  of  representatives,  who  had  elected 
Henry  Clay,  then  thirty-four  years  of  age,  speaker, 
determined  that  indecision  should  no  longer  mark 
the  councils  of  the  nation.  The  committee  on  for- 
eign relations,  of  which  Peter  B.  Porter  was  chair- 
man, intensified  that  feeling  by  an  energetic  report 
submitted  on  the  29th  of  November,  in  which,  in 
glowing  sentences,  the  British  government  was  ar- 
raigned on  charges  of  injustice,  cruelty,  and  wrong. 
They  said : 

"To  sum  up,  in  a  word,  the  great  cause  of  complaint 
against  Great  Britain,  your  committee  need  only  say,  that 
the  United  States,  as  a  sovereign  and  independent  power, 
claims  the  right  to  use  the  ocean,  which  is  the  common 
and  acknowledged  highway  of  nations,  for  the  purposes  of 
transporting,  in  their  own  vessels,  the  products  of  their 
own  soils  and  the  acquisition  of  their  own  industry  to  any 
market  in  the  ports  of  friendly  nations,  and  to  bring  home, 
in  return,  such  articles  as  their  necessities  or  convenience 
may  require,  always  regarding  the  rights  of  belligerents  as 
defined  by  the  established  laws  of  nations.  Great  Britain, 
in  defiance  of  this  incontestable  right,  captures  every 
American  vessel  bound  to  or  returning  from  a  port  where 
her  commerce  is  not  favored  ;  enslaves  our  seamen,  and, 
in  spite  of  our  remonstrances,  perseveres  in  these  aggres- 
sions. To  wrongs  so  daring  in  character  and  so  disgrace- 
ful in  their  execution,  it  is  impossible  that  the  people  of 
the  United  States  should  remain  indifferent.  We  must 


WAR  FEELING  OF  1811.  129 

now  tamely  and  quietly  submit,  or  we  must  resist  by  those 
means  which  God  has  placed  within  our  reach.  .  .  .  The 
sovereignty  and  independence  of  these  States,  purchased 
and  sanctified  by  the  blood  of  our  fathers,  from  whom  we 
received  them,  not  for  ourselves  only,  but  as  the  inheri- 
tance of  our  posterity,  are  deliberately  and  systemati- 
cally violated.  And  the  period  has  arrived  when,  in  the 
opinion  of  your  committee,  it  is  the  sacred  duty  of  congress 
to  call  forth  the  patriotism  and  the  resources  of  the  coun- 
try. By  the  aid  of  these  and  with  the  blessing  of  God,  we 
confidently  trust  we  shall  be  able  to  procure  that  redress 
which  has  been  sought  for  by  justice,  by  remonstrance  and 
forbearance,  in  vain." 

The  report  went  over  the  land  as  fast  as  the 
mails  in  that  day  of  stage  coaches  could  carry  it, 
and  made  a  profound  impression  on  the  minds  of 
the  people.  Resolutions,  drawn  in  accordance  with 
the  spirit  of  the  report,  were  appended  to  it,  and 
these  led  to  earnest  debates.  In  these  debates, 
the  brilliant  John  C.  Calhoun,  then  less  than  thirty 
years  of  age,  engaged.  It  marked  the  beginning 
of  his  long  and  illustrious  career.  He  made  his 
maiden  speech  in  favor  of  war,  and  charmed  his 
listeners.  John  Randolph,  always  happy  when  in 
opposition  to  everybody,  spoke  vehemently  against 
the  report  and  resolutions. 

The  Federalists,  having  always  advocated  a  pol- 
icy of  being  prepared  for  war,  could  not  from  prin- 
ciple oppose  these  resolutions  as  they  recommended 
only  such  preparations.  The  resolutions  were 
9 


130  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

adopted  and  bills  prepared  for  augmenting  the 
military  force  of  the  country. 

The  regular  army  was  increased  to  twenty-five 
thousand  men;  also  two  major-generals  and  five 
brigadier-generals,  in  addition  to  those  then  in 
office  were  authorized.  A  million  dollars  were 
appropriated  for  the  purchase  of  arms,  ammunition 
and  stores  for  the  army,  and  four  hundred  thousand 
dollars  for  powder,  cannon  and  small  arms  for  the 
navy. 

War  was  not  yet  declared,  and,  with  a  proper 
course  of  treatment  from  Great  Britain,  it  would 
not  have  been;  yet  the  war  feeling  of  1811  was 
strong.  It  needed  but  a  breath  to  fan  the  flame  to 
a  terrible  conflagration. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

FERNANDO'S    FRIEND     GETS    HIM    INTO    A    SERIOUS 
SCRAPE. 

IN  due  time  Fernando  and  Sukey  were  entered 
in  the  college.  They  were  transferred  to  more 
comfortable  quarters  than  the  wretched  inn  of  Mrs. 
Mahone.  Terrence  superintended  everything  and 
was,  in  truth,  the  good  angel  of  the  boys.  He  had 
a  warm  heart,  was  a  genuine  friend,  and  would 
have  shed  his  last  drop  of  blood  for  them ;  but 
Terrence  was,  after  all,  a  young  scamp,  whose 
dearest  friend  was  not  free  from  a  practical  joke. 
His  jokes  often  became  serious  affairs  and  involved 
himself  as  well  as  friends  in  trouble,  though  he 
never  intended  anything  unpleasant. 

Fernando  had  been  in  college  but  a  few  months, 
and  was  already  making  excellent  progress,  when 
one  day  Terrence  came  to  his  room  and  said : 

"  Me  frind,  d'ye  want  to  see  a  bit  of  good  so- 
ciety?" 

Laying  down  a  heavy  mathematical  work,  Fer- 
uando  smilingly  answered: 

131 


132  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"  I  don't  know,  Terrence;  I've  hardly  time  for 
society. " 

"  Wbat's  the  need  of  worry  in'  yer  brains  out 
over  Latin,  Greek  and  astronomy,  when  there's  iny 
amount  of  fun  to  be  had?  Come;  a  little  mite  of 
society  will  brighten  up  yer  ideas.  Now  listen  to 
me,  lad.  There's  goin'  to  be  a  big  ball  given  at 
the  mayor's,  and  d'ye  remimber  the  darlint  little 
craythur  ye  met  on  the  street  that  day?" 

Remember  her?  of  course  Fernando  remembered 
her.  She  had  scarcely  been  out  of  his  mind  day 
or  night  since  he  had  seen  her.  She  had  been  the 
angel  of  his  dreams,  the  princess  of  countless  air 
castles ;  but  he  had  never  indulged  a  hope  that  he 
might  see  her  again. 

"  Will  she  be  at  the  ball,  Terrence?" 

"  To  be  sure.  It's  rnesilf  as  heard  it,  and  thin 
if  ye'll  look  over  the  Baltimore  papers,  ye'll  see 
her  name  Morgianna  Lane,  the  daughter  of  Captain 
Felix  Lane  of  Mariana,  whose  entree  into  society  is 
to  be  the  ninth,  chaperoned  by  Madame  Barnhart. " 

Terrence  Malone  evinced  a  wonderful  ability  at 
picking  up  information  on  any  question  that  took 
his  fancy.  He  had  a  bold  wa}'  of  insinuating  him- 
self into  people's  affections,  for  no  one  could  dis- 
like the  light-hearted,  merry  Irishman. 

"  Now  there  is  no  need  for  ye  to  say  ye  won't  go, 
because  ye  will,"  said  Terrence.  "It's  a  grand 


FERNANDO'S  SERIOUS  SCRAPE.  133 

occasion  to  be  sure.  One  of  his  majesty's  ships  o' 
war  is  in  port,  and  some  of  the  officers  from  her 
will  be  there,  every  alderman  in  the  town,  some 
congressmen  and  ex -President  Jefferson  will  be 
there. " 

Fernando  looked  at  him  in  amazement  and,  after 
a  moment,  he  said : 

"  Terrence,  if  the  ball  is  to  be  such  a  grand 
affair,  please  to  inform  me  how  we  are  to  gain  ad- 
mission. " 

"  Now,  me  boy,  lave  that  to  me.     Will  ye  go?" 

"Yes." 

"  And  ye  don't  mind  it  if  it's  a  thrifle  of  an  ad- 
venture, do  yez?" 

"No." 

"  That's  it.  I  always  said  ye  was  a  lad  after  me 
own  heart;  but,  Fernando,  don't  yez  say  one  word 
to  Sukey.  He's  too  slow  and  careful.  He  might 
make  trouble  with  us  and  upset  all  our  plans. " 

At  first,  Fernando,  who  hated  anything  like  de- 
ceit, opposed  secresy ;  but  his  Irish  friend  brought 
so  many  excellent  arguments  to  bear,  that  he  vir- 
tually carried  his  point. 

"  Terrence,  I  fear  I  will  make  an  awkward  figure 
in  a  ball  room!"  declared  Fernando.  "I  am  not 
accustomed  to  such  things." 

"  A  glass  or  two  of  champagne  will  do  it  for  ye. " 

"  But  I  never  danced  in  my  life. " 


134  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"  I'll  teach  ye  mesilf,  and,  bedad,  ye'll  be  as 
foine  a  terpechorian  artist  be  the  toime,  as  will  be 
at  the  ball. " 

The  last  objection  swept  away,  Fernando  began 
secretly  to  take  lessons  in  the  waltz,  cotillon  and 
other  dances  of  the  day. 

Whatever  may  be  said  against  Terrence,  one 
thing  is  quite  certain,  he  was  no  bad  dancing  mas- 
ter, and  Fernando  was  an  apt  pupil.  Somehow, 
there  was  a  spice  of  adventure  in  the  escapade, 
which  seemed  to  thrill  Fernando  with  pleasure,  and 
he  entered  into  it  with  a  zeal  that  was  remarkable. 

The  English  man-of-war  in  the  harbor  was  the 
Xenophon,  Captain  Conkerall  commander.  The 
captain  had  some  acquaintances  and  friends  in 
Baltimore,  and  this  event  transpired  before  the 
war  spirit  became  so  strong  that  English  officers 
dared  not  venture  on  shore.  The  captain  and  his 
officers  were  of  course  invited  to  the  ball. 

The  day  of  the  ball,  the  captain  came  ashore  and 
was  snugly  quartered  at  the  Baltimore  House,  get- 
ting ready  for  the  affair. 

The  captain  was  in  his  room  talking  with  some 
citizens  of  Baltimore  and  a  congressman  ;  a  decanter 
and  glasses  were  on  a  sideboard,  and  the  captain's 
face  was  somewhat  flushed,  when  there  entered  a 
neat,  well-dressed  young  gentleman,  whose  lan- 
guage and  features  were  slightly  Hibernian. 


FERNANDO' S  SERIOUS  SCRAPE.  135 

"  I  beg  pardon,  gintlemen,  but  this  is  Captain 
Conkerall?  Sure  I  make  no  mistake,  for  the  very 
bearin'  tells  me  he  is  a  son  of  Neptune." 

As  the  captain  was  in  full  uniform,  of  course 
there  was  no  trouble  about  recognizing  him.  The 
captain  rose  and,  taking  the  hand  of  the  young 
man,  tried  hard  to  remember  where  he  had  seen 
him  before. 

"  Sure,  ye  don't  remember  me.  I  am  Lord 
Kildee,  the  son  of  the  ould  baron  of  Kildee  Castle, 
who  was  a  schoolmate  of  yer  father. " 

The  captain,  delighted  at  having  so  noted  an  ac- 
quaintance, took  great  pleasure  in  introducing  a 
scion  of  such  a  noble  family  as  Kildee.  One  would 
have  thought,  from  Captain  Conkerall 's  manner, 
that  he  had  been  on  intimate  terms  with  the  house 
of  Kildee  all  his  life,  while  in  reality  he  had  never 
until  that  moment  known  that  there  lived  such  a 
being  as  the  Lord  of  Kildee.  Wine  and  vanity 
work  wonders,  and  the  captain  felt  great  pride  in 
being  recognized  at  Baltimore  by  Lord  Kildee, 
whose  father  was,  as  the  new  acquaintance  assured 
him,  a  member  of  the  house  of  lords. 

The  visiting  aldermen  of  the  town  and  the  con- 
gressman were  introduced  to  the  Lord  Kildee,  who 
had  the  air  of  a  genuine  nobleman,  with  just 
enough  of  the  rich  brogue  to  entitle  him  to  the 
name  of  Irishman. 


136  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Would  his  lordship  have  a  glass  of  wine  with 
them.  To  be  sure  he  would. 

Captain  Conkerall,  who  was  expected  to  be  the 
lion  of  the  evening,  indulged  rather  freely,  and  the 
more  he  indulged  the  more  he  had  a  desire  to. 

At  last  the  congressman  rose  to  make  a  speech. 
He  was  rather  unsteady  on  his  legs,  but  exceed- 
ingly eloquent  on  the  question  of  Jefferson's  em- 
bargo act.  He  thought  it  an  outrage  designed  to 
foster  the  unfortunate  estrangement  between  the 
mother  country  and  America.  He,  as  a  Federal- 
ist, had  opposed  Jefferson  and  Jeffersonianism. 

How  much  longer  his  harangue  might  have 
lasted,  no  one  could  have  told,  but  the  captain  was 
warned  that  the  hour  for  the  ball  was  drawing 
near,  and  he  gently  insinuated  that  the  speech  be 
deferred  for  an  after-dinner  talk.  Just  as  the  cap- 
tain's guests  were  on  the  point  of  retiring,  Lord 
Kildee,  by  a  gentle  hint,  suggested  that  if  he  had 
an  invitation  he  would  be  glad  to  meet  them  at  the 
ball.  .Of  course  so  noted  a  person  as  Lord  Kildee 
could  not  be  neglected,  and,  as  one  of  the  invita- 
tion committee  was  present,  he  issued  a  ticket  at 
once.  Then  the  captain  and  his  lordship  were  left 
alone. 

His  lordship  hinted  that  he  had  much  to  say  to 
the  captain  in  confidence,  having  just  come  from 
the  fleet  of  Vice  Admiral  Berkeley.  Over  their 


FERNANDO'S  SERIOUS  SCRAPE.  137 

wine,  he  informed  the  captain  that  he  was  on  inti- 
mate terms  with  the  vice  admiral  and  that  the 
captain  of  the  Xenophon  was  down  for  an  early 
promotion.  Captain  Conkerall  was  delighted.  He 
drank  deep  to  the  health  of  Vice  Admiral  Berkeley, 
Lord  Kildee  and  himself.  By  this  time,  the  cap- 
tain was  ready  to  drink  to  the  health  of  anybody. 
The  Lord  Kildee,  strange  to  say,  imbibed  very 
little,  and  soon  the  captain  was  insensible  on  the 
floor,  while  his  lordship  was  as  sober  as  a  judge. 

"  Faith,  it's  a  dacint  bit  of  work,"  he  said,  eye- 
ing the  prostrate  captain.  "  Now  to  the  rest  of  the 
plan." 

Lord  Kildee  was  none  other  than  the  rollicking 
Irish  student  Terrence  Malone.  In  a  few  mo- 
ments, he  had  divested  the  captain  of  his  coat, 
trousers  and  vest,  which,  with  his  chapeau,  he 
rolled  up  in  a  neat  bundle  and  hurried  away  to  his 
friend  Fernando  Stevens.  The  hour  was  late,  and 
Fernando  had  almost  given  up  going  to  the  ball, 
when  Terrence  bolted  into  his  room,  his  cheeks 
aglow  with  excitement. 

"  Here,  me  lad,  don  the  royal  robes  at  once. 
Begorra,  it's  noblemen  we  are  goin'  to  be  to- 
night!" 

"What  does  this  mean,  Terrence?"  Fernando 
asked,  as  Malone  unrolled  the  bundle  containing 
the  elegant  uniform  of  a  British  officer. 


138  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"  Divil  a  question  need  ye  be  askin' ;  put  on  the 
uniform;  it  will  fit  ye  to  an  exactness." 

In  vain  Fernando  expostulated ;  his  friend  forced 
him  into  compliance,  and,  almost  before  he  knew 
it,  he  was  encased  in  a  British  uniform,  and  a 
handsome  looking  officer  he  made.  Terrence  then 
gave  him  a  drink  at  his  bottle  to  "  steady  his 
nerves,"  and  told  him  that  it  was  one  of  the 
"  divil's  own  toimes"  they  would  have. 

Fernando,  despite  all  his  staid  qualities  and 
Puritanic  instincts,  loved  an  adventure  which 
promised  fun,  and  finally  entered  into  the  scheme 
with  a  zest  second  only  to  his  friend.  The  very 
idea  of  playing  a  prank  on  the  captain  of  a  man- 
of-war  was  enough  to  induce  him  to  engage  in  al- 
most any  enterprise.  They  managed  to  escape  the 
house  without  being  detected  by  Sukey,  who  was 
puzzling  his  brain  over  deep  questions  in  philoso- 
phy, and  hastened  down  the  street  to  a  carriage 
which  Terrence  engaged  to  take  them  to  the  mayor's. 

There  was  a  ticket  of  admission  in  the  captain's 
vest,  which  Fernando  used,  and  Lord  Kildee  had 
one  for  himself. 

As  Terrence  contemplated  his  young  friend, 
whom  the  uniform  fitted  as  neatly  as  if  he  had 
grown  in  it,  he  declared  that  he  was  perfection. 

Arrived  at  the  door,  Fernando,  whose  brain  was 
in  a  whirl,  found  himself  suddenly  hurried  up  a 


FERNANDO'S  SERIOUS  SCRAPE.  139 

flight  of  marble  steps  to  the  great  vestibule  where 
there  was  a  flood  of  subdued  light.  The  wine 
made  him  bold,  reckless,  and  when  he  was  intro- 
duced as  Lieutenant  Srnither,  of  his  majesty's  vice 
admiral's  flag-ship,  he  half  believed  he  was  that 
person  and,  assuming  what  he  supposed  to  be  the 
manner  and  carriage  of  so  high  an  official,  received 
the  bows  and  smiles  of  the  fair  ladies  assembled 
with  the  grace  of  a  veteran  seaman. 

There  were  a  few  officers  from  the  Xenophon 
present,  among  them  a  Lieutenant  Matson,  who 
was  dividing  his  time  between  a  very  pretty  girl 
and  asking  why  Captain  Conkerall  was  so  late. 

Fernando  played  his  part  remarkably  well,  con- 
sidering that  he  was  new  in  the  role.  Whenever 
he  was  in  danger  of  "  making  a  bad  break,"  Lord 
Kildee,  who  was  the  lion  of  the  hour,  was  at  hand 
to  aid  him,  and  with  consummate  grace  and  ease 
helped  him  through  the  worst  difficulties.  A  few 
glasses  of  champagne  made  Fernando  bolder. 

At  last  he  met  that  beautiful  creature  whom  he 
had  seen  alight  from  the  carriage  and  was  intro- 
duced to  Miss  Morgianna  Lane.  Morgianna,  young 
as  she  was,  detected  the  deception.  Fernando 
talked  without  reserve  on  any  and  every  topic. 
Those  he  knew  the  least  about,  he  discussed  with 
most  fluency,  until  he  bid  fair  to  become  the  centre 
of  attraction. 


140  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

When  they  were  alone,  Morgianna,  with  one 
of  her  sweetest  smiles,  said : 

"  I  don't  believe  you  are  an  Englishman." 

"I'll  be  honest  with  you,  Miss  Lane,"  said  he. 
"I  am  not." 

"Who  are  you?" 

"  If  you  will  keep  my  secret,  I  will  tell  you  all. " 
Morgianna,  as  fond  of  mischief  as  Terrence,  agreed 
to  do  so,  and  he  told  her  everything.  She  laughed 
until  the  tears  coursed  down  her  pretty  cheeks. 
She  said  it  was  a  good  joke  and  as  soon  as  she  got 
home,  she  would  tell  her  papa  and  he  would,  she 
knew,  enjoy  it. 

"  But  you  must  not  drink  any  more  wine,"  she 
added.  "  It  affects  your  head. "  Fernando  ad- 
mitted that  he  was  not  used  to  it,  and  he  promised 
to  desist.  After  waltzing  for  an  hour  with  her 
and  getting  a  tender  squeeze  of  the  hand,  he  restored 
her  to  an  affable  old  lady  who  acted  as  Morgianna 's 
chaperon,  and  then  Fernando  retired  to  new  con- 
quests, his  head  in  a  whirl  and  his  heart  in  a  flutter. 

Lord  Kildee  soon  .had  him  under  his  care  and 
introduced  him  to  some  friends,  among  them  Lieu- 
tenant Matson,  who  had  early  in  the  evening  made 
so  many  unsuccessful  attempts  to  attract  Miss  Lane's 
favorable  notice  that  Fernando  had  come  to  regard 
him  as  a  dangerous  rival.  Despite  the  injunction 
of  the  fair  Morgianna,  he  found  himself  half  un- 


FERNANDO' S  SERIOUS  SCRAPE.  141 

consciously  quaffing  three  or  four  glasses  to  the 
good  health  of  somebody ;  he  really  did  not  know 
whether  it  was  King  George  or  President  Jefferson. 

Fernando,  naturally  witty,  soon  ingratiated  him- 
self into  this  well  occupied  clique,  and  he  dosed 
them  with  glory  to  their  heart's  content.  He  re- 
solved at  once  to  enter  into  their  humor,  and  as 
the  wine  mounted  up  to  his  brain,  he  gradually 
found  his  acquaintance  and  politics  extending  to 
every  country  and  political  creed. 

"  Did  you  know  Thomas  Matson  of  his  majesty's 
ship  Spit-Fire?11  asked  the  lieutenant. 

"Tom  Matson!"  cried  Fernando.  "Indeed  I 
did  sir,  and  do  still !  and  there  is  not  a  man  in  the 
British  navy  I  am  prouder  of  knowing. "  Of  course 
he  had  never  heard  of  Thomas  Matson  until  this 
moment. 

"  You  don't  say,  sir?"  said  the  lieutenant  in  as- 
tonishment. "  Has  he  any  chance  of  promotion.-sir?" 

"Promotion!"  cried  Fernando,  in  well-feigned 
astonishment.  "  Why,  have  you  not  heard  that 
he  is  already  in  command  of  a  ship?  You  cannot 
possibly  have  heard  from  him  lately,  or  you  would 
have  known  that!" 

"That's  true,  sir;  I  have  not  heard  from  him 
since  he  quitted  the  Black  Cloud  in  the  South,  I 
think  they  said  for  his  health ;  but  how  did  he  get 
the  step?" 


142  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"  Why,  as  to  the  promotion,  that  was  remarkable 
enough,"  said  Fernando,  quaffing  off  a  tumbler  of 
champagne  to  aid  his  inventive  faculties ;  but  Fer- 
nando, despite  his  native  shrewdness  and  wonder- 
ful inventive  powers,  was  liable  to  get  into  trouble. 
He  knew  as  little  about  a  ship  as  a  landlubber 
might  be  supposed  to  know,  and  his  companion 
saw  at  once  that  he  would  make  a  mess  of  the 
story,  so  he  came  to  his  rescue  by  informing  the 
assembly  that  a  fine  vocalist  at  the  other  end  of 
the  room  was  going  to  sing,  and  asked  that  the 
story  be  deferred  until  after  the  song.  They  all 
hurried  away  save  Fernando,  who,  overcome  by 
too  deep  potations,  sank  upon  a  sofa  temporarily 
unconscious. 

He  was  roused  from  his  stupor  by  his  companion 
shaking  him  and  saying: 

"  Fernando,  me  boy,  it's  a  divil's  own  mess  ye 
are  makiri'  of  this!  Wake  up  and  get  out!" 

He  roused  himself  and  looked  about.  The  room 
they  were  in  was  a  small  apartment  off  the  great 
saloon,  and  through  the  half-open  folding-door, 
he  could  see  that  the  festivities  still  continued. 
The  music  and  gay  forms  of  dancers  reminded  him 
where  he  was. 

"  Fernando,  we've  played  this  game  jist  as  long 
as  we  can,  successfully;  we  had  better  go." 

"  I  am  ready, "  and  Fernando  got  up  and  started 


FERNANDO'S  SERIOUS  SCRAPE.  143 

diagonally  across  the  room,  stepping  with  his  feet 
very  wide  apart.  The  pretended  Lord  Kildee  took 
his  arm,  and  they  got  to  the  door,  where  Fernando 
missed  his  footing  and  went  tumbling  down  the 
steps  in  a  very  undignified  manner.  His  lordship, 
Kildee,  having  imbibed  rather  freely  himself,  kept 
him  company,  and  for  a  few  seconds  they  re- 
mained at  the  bottom  of  the  flight,  dividing  their 
time  between  studying  astronomy  and  the  laws  of 
gravitation. 

Fernando  had  badly  smashed  the  captain's  cha- 
peau  and  one  fine  plume  was  gone.  They  had  not 
gone  far  before  they  ran  upon  a  watchman,  who 
threatened  to  run  them  in;  but  the  police  of  those 
days  were  as  susceptible  to  a  bribe  as  they  are  to- 
day, and  after  donating  liberally  to  the  cause  of 
justice  and  protection,  they  were  taken  to  their 
rooms  instead  of  the  calaboose. 

Young  Stevens  had  no  definite  recollection  of 
how  he  ever  got  to  bed;  but  he  awoke  next  morn- 
ing with  a  wretched  headache  and  found  himself  in 
a  red  coat,  with  the  epaulets  and  gold  lace  of  an 
officer.  By  degrees,  the  whole  thing  came  back 
to  him. 

Terrence  came  in  a  few  moments  later,  a  smile 
on  his  face,  as  he  remarked  they  were  in  "  the 
divil's  own  scrape." 

"  Why?"  asked  Fernando. 


144  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"  We  should  have  taken  the  clothes  back  to  the 
captain. " 

Fernando,  who  was  in  total  ignorance  of  the 
manner  in  which  the  uniform  was  procured,  asked: 

"  How  did  you  get  them?" 

Terrence  told  him  the  whole  story,  and  Fer- 
nando, despite  his  wretched  headache,  laughed 
until  the  tears  coursed  down  his  cheeks. 

"  That's  not  all,  me  foine  boy.  The  whole  thing 
is  out.  The  papers  printed  this  morning  are  full 
of  it.  They  say  the  captain  was  seen  just  before 
daylight  goin'  down  the  street  to  his  boat  with  a 
sheet  wrapped  about  him." 

Again  the  youngsters  roared.  It  was  such  a 
madcap  frolic  as  students,  utterly  reckless  of  con- 
sequences, might  engage  in';  but,  after  all,  it  was 
a  serious  affair.  The  clothes  had  to  be  returned ; 
then  the  perpetrators  of  the  outrage  would  be 
known  at  the  college,  and  they  might  be  expelled 
from  the  institution  in  disgrace. 

The  clothes  were  returned.  That  was  a  point 
of  honor  which  Fernando  insisted  upon,  as  he 
would  neither  agree  to  steal  or  wear  stolen  goods. 
For  a  day  or  two  he  was  indisposed,  and  good, 
honest  Sukey  was  afraid  his  friend  was  "  going 
to  be  real  sick."  On  the  evening  of  the  second 
day  after  their  madcap  frolic,  Fernando  told  Sukey 
all  about  it  and  asked  his  advice.  After  the 


FERNANDO' S  SERIOUS  SCRAPE.  145 

tall  young  westerner  had  heard  him  through,  he 
said: 

"Well,  Fernando,  I  am  sorry  you  were  in  the 
game  at  all ;  but  you  are  in  it,  and  now  the  best 
thing  is  to  go  to  the  college  and  make  a  clean 
breast  of  it  to  the  president.  It's  your  first,  you 
know,  and  then  a  fellow  just  from  the  woods  like 
us  is  liable  to  stumble  into  bad  scrapes.  Make  a 
clean  breast  of  it  and  keep  out  of  such  games  in 
the  future. " 

This  was  really  the  best  advice  that  could  have 
been  given,  and  Fernando,  after  consulting  Ter- 
rence,  decided  to  follow  it.  Consequently  they  all 
three  presented  themselves  to  the  president  of  the 
faculty  and,  in  the  best  way  they  could,  laid  the 
story  before  him .  Terrence  brought  all  the  pathos 
and  eloquence  which  he  naturally  possessed  to  the 
aid  of  his  friend  and  got  both  of  them  off  pretty 
well. 

The  old  professor  was  one  of  the  best-hearted 
men  in  the  world,  and  when  he  came  to  contem- 
plate the  lonely  condition  of  the  boys  so  far  from 
home,  he  forgave  them  freely,  and  Fernando  went 
out  of  hia  presence  resolved  never  to  be  guilty  of 
another  unseemly  trick  again. 

"Now,  if  that  divil's  own  ship  the  Xenophon 
would  only  lave  port,  I'd  fale  better,"  remarked 
Terrence  as  they  wended  their  way  to  their  rooms. 
10 


146  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Fernando  could  not  see  any  harm  the  Xenophon 
could  do  them.  The  president  of  the  college  had 
forgiven  them,  and  surely  they  need  not  care  for 
the  ship. 

The  students  entered  ardently  into  their  studies, 
and  Fernando  tried  to  forget  everything  about  the 
mayor's  ball  save  the  beautiful  face  of  Morgianna 
Lane.  She  was  the  only  sweet  picture  in  that  wild 
dream,  and  he  would  not  have  for  gotten  her  for  the 
world.  Time  wore  slowly  on.  A  week  had  passed, 
and  all  the  papers  in  the  country  were  nagging  the 
captain  about  going  to  his  vessel  in  a  winding  sheet. 
A  wag  wrote  some  verses  which  must  have  been 
galling  to  the  pride  of  the  haughty  Briton. 

At  last  it  leaked  out  that  two  students  had  played 
the  trick  on  Captain  Conkerall.  A  newspaper  re- 
porter came  to  see  Fernando,  who  gave  him  a 
truthful  history  of  the  affair. 

"  You've  played  the  divil  now,"  said  Terrence, 
when  he  read  the  interview  in  the  next  issue  of  the 
Baltimore  Sun. 

"Why?" 

"  Never  moind,  Fernando,  I'll  not  desert  ye,  and 
if  iny  one  comes  to  ye  about  satisfaction,  or  iny- 
thing  of  the  kind,  and  asks  you  to  mintion  your 
frind,  sind  thim  to  Terrence  Malone,  and  he  will 
make  the  arrangements,  that's  all." 

Fernando  had  no  more  idea  what  he  meant  than 


FERNANDO' S  SERIOUS  SCRAPE.  147 

if  he  had  addressed  him  in  Hindoo,  and  he  gave 
the  matter  little  or  no  further  thought.  He  was 
in  his  room  poring  over  his  books  the  second  day 
after  the  interview,  when  there  came  a  rap  at  his 
door. 

"Come  in!v  he  cried  in  his  broad,  western 
fashion. 

The  door  opened,  and,  to  his  surprise,  a  young 
English  officer  entered  the  apartment. 

"  Is  this  Mr.  Fernando  Stevens?"  he  asked  po- 
litely. 

"  It  is. " 

"  I  am  the  bearer  of  a  message  from  Lieutenant 
Matson. " 

"  Pray  who  is  Lieutenant  Matson?" 

"  Of  his  majesty's  ship  the  Xenophon." 

Fernando  thought  he  must  be  mistaken,  as  he 
had  not  the  least  recollection  of  ever  hearing  of 
Lieutenant  Matson ;  but  the  ensign  assured  him 
that  he  was  the  person  with  whom  the  lieutenant 
had  to  deal,  and  then  asked  if  he  could  refer  him 
to  some  friend  with  whom  the  business  might  be 
arranged.  Then  the  youthful  American  remem- 
bered Terrence  Malone's  strange  instructions  and 
sent  the  ensign  at  once  to  the  young  Irishman. 

Just  how  Terrence  would  settle  the  matter,  he 
did  not  know ;  but  he  who  had  such  remarkable 
ability  for  getting  one  into  a  scrape  could  surely 


148  SUSTAINED  HONOR.    . 

devise  some  means  to  get  him  out,  and  Fernando 
was  perfectly  willing  to  trust  him.  So,  deeming 
the  matter  wholly  settled,  he  sat  down  to  his  books 
once  more,  and  had  actually  forgotten  the  officer, 
when  Terrence  bolted  into  the  room  his  face  ex- 
pressive of  anxiety. 

"  It's  all  arranged,  me  boy.  Ye  did  right  in 
lavin'  it  to  me.  The  young  Britisher  and  I  have 
made  all  arrangements. " 

"Arrangements?  what  arrangements?"  asked 
Fernando  with  guileless  innocence. 

"  Arrangements  for  the  meeting,  to  be  sure." 

"What  meeting?" 

"  Meeting  with  Lieutenant  Matson." 

Throwing  down  his  book,  Fernando  started  up 
impatiently  said: 

"  I  don't  want  to  meet  the  infernal  lieutenant. 
I  thought  you  had  settled  it. " 

"  So  I  did,  and  right  dacintly,  too.  Now  what 
weapons  do  ye  want?" 

"Weapons!"  cried  Fernando,  the  truth  at  last 
beginning  to  dawn  upon  him.  "Great  Heavens! 
Terrence,  do  you  mean  a  duel?" 

"  Certainly,  me  frind,  nothin'  ilse.  There's  no 
way  to  get  out  of  it,  honorably. " 

Fernando  reeled  as  if  he  had  been  struck  a  blow. 
He  had  read  of  duels,  but,  in  the  solitude  of  his 
western  home  on  the  farm,  he  had  never  known  of 


FERNANDO' S  SERIOUS  SCRAPE.  149 

any.  They  were  the  bloody  inventions  of  more 
polite  civilization.  One  had  been  fought  between 
two  trappers  at  a  trading  post,  not  over  forty  miles 
away,  in  which  rifles  at  thirty  paces  were  used, 
and  both  men  were  killed.  The  preacher  had  said 
it  was  murder.  Fernando  was  brave;  but  he 
shrank  from  a  duel,  and  it  was  not  until  his  pride 
had  been  appealed  to,  that  he  determined  to  fight. 
Then  Terrence  assured  him  the  lieutenant's  friend 
was  waiting;  all  that  was  wanting  was  the  weapons. 

"  I  must  talk  with  Sukey. " 

Sukey  was  sent  for,  and  when  the  tall,  lanky 
fellow  entered  the  apartment,  Fernando  told  him 
all. 

"  Don't  you  be  in  the  game,  Fernando.  Let  me 
tell  you,  don't  you  be  in  it,"  Sukey  answered. 

But  he  was  informed  that  he  must,  or  be  forever 
disgraced.  Besides,  his  enemy  was  a  hated  Briton, 
whom  their  country  was  almost  on  the  verge  of 
war  with,  and  it  would  not  be  a  bad  thing  to  kill 
him  in  advance. 

"Well,  if  you  must  be  in  the  game,  Fernando, 
fight  with  hatchets.  You  know  you  used  to  throw 
a  hatchet  twenty  steps  and  split  a  pumpkin  every 
time.  Fight  with  hatchets. " 

It  was  a  novel  mode  of  dueling ;  but  Terrence 
took  the  proposition  to  the  lieutenant's  friend. 
The  Briton  said  his  friend  was  a  gentlemen,  will- 


150  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

ing  to  fight  with  any  of  the  weapons  which  civil- 
ized gentlemen  used,  and  if  Mr.  Stevens  would  not 
consent  to  the  same,  the  lieutenant  would  publish 
him  as  a  barbarian  and  a  coward.  Pistols  were 
settled  on  as  a  compromise,  and  Terrence  went 
away  to  settle  the  final  arrangements.  He  returned 
with  a  smile  on  his  face  and,  rubbing  his  hands, 
said: 

"  Cheer  up,  me  boy,  it's  all  settled." 

"  What?  won't  we  fight?" 

"  Yes,  it's  settled  that  you  will  fight. " 

For  a  long  time,  Fernando  was  silent,  and  then 
he  said : 

"  When  will  it  take  place,  Terrence?" 

"  To-morrow  morning  at  sunrise. " 

Fernando  did  not  go  to  school  that  day.  Sukey 
was  enjoined  to  keep  the  matter  a  secret,  and  he 
went  to  his  classroom  as  if  nothing  unusual  were 
about  to  happen.  Fernando  spent  the  day  in  writ- 
ing letters  to  be  sent  home  in  case  he  should  not 
survive  the  affair  which,  after  all,  he  believed  to 
be  disgraceful.  Dueling  he  thought  little  better 
than  murder;  but  he  was  in  for  it  and  determined 
not  to  show  the  white  feather.  Don't  blame  Fer- 
nando, for  he  lived  in  a  barbarous  age,  when  the 
"  code  of  honor"  was  thought  to  be  honorable.  His 
chief  remorse  was  for  his  madcap,  drunken  freak, 
which  had  been  the  provocation  for  the  event, 


FERNANDO'S  SEEIOUS  SCRAPE.  151 

and  yet,  when  he  came  to  think  of  the  ludicrous- 
ness  of  his  adventures,  he  smiled. 

More  than  once  on  that  gloomy  day  he  thought 
of  Morgianna,  whom  in  reality  he  loved  at  first 
sight.  Would  he  ever  see  her  again,  or  was  she 
only  the  evening  star,  which  had  risen  on  the  last 
hours  of  his  existence?  When  Sukey  returned,  he 
held  a  long  interview  with  him  and  gave  him  a 
bundle  of  letters  and  papers  to  send  home  if — he 
could  not  finish  the  sentence. 

"  Ain't  there  no  way  to  get  out  of  it,  Fernando?" 
asked  Sukey,  his  droll  face  comical  even  in  dis- 
tress. 

"  Not  honorably. " 

"Well,  now  that  you're  in  the  game,  just  shoot 
that  infernal  Englishman's  head  right  off  his  shoul- 
ders, that's  my  advice.  I've  read  lots  about  duels, 
and  it  all  depends  on  who  is  quickest  at  the  trig- 
ger. Take  good  aim  and  don't  let  him  get  a  second 
the  advantage  of  you. " 

They  went  to  bed  early,  and  Fernando  slept 
soundly.  It  was  Terrence  who  awoke  them  and 
said  it  would  not  do  to  be  late.  He  had  engaged 
a  sailor  called  Luff  Williams  to  take  them  in  his 
boat  to  the  spot,  a  long  sandy  beach  behind  a  high 
promontory  some  five  or  six  miles  from  the  city. 
The  spot  was  quite  secluded,  and  Terrence  declared 
it  a  love  of  a  place  for  such  little  affairs 


152  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"What  are  ye  thinkin'  of,  Fernando?"  asked 
Terrenee,  when  the  boat  with  the  three  young  men 
was  under  way. 

"I'm  thinking,  sir,  if  I  were  to  kill  him,  what 
I  must  do  after. " 

"  Bight,  my  boy  ;  nothing  like  it;  but  1811  will 
settle  all  for  ye.  I  don't  believe,  now  that  Amer- 
ica is  on  the  verge  of  war  with  the  British,  that 
iny  one  will  make  much  of  a  row  for  killin'  the 
murdherin'  baste.  Are  ye  a  good  shot?" 

"  I  am  with  a  rifle;  but  I  never  could  do  any- 
thing to  speak  of  with  a  pistol." 

"  I  don't  moind  that.  Ye've  a  good  eye;  never 
take  it  off  him  after  you're  on  the  ground;  follow 
him  everywhere.  I  knew  a  fellow  in  Ireland"  who 
always  shot  his  man  that  way.  Look  without 
winkinj ;  it's  fatal  at  a  short  distance — a  very  good 
thing  to  learn,  when  ye've  a  little  spare  time." 

As  they  came  in  sight  of  the  beach  where  the 
duel  was  to  be  fought,  they  perceived,  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  off,  a  group  of  persons  standing  on  the 
sands,  whom  they  recognized  as  their  opponents. 

"  Fernando, "  said  Terrenee,  grasping  his  arm 
firmly,  as  if  to  instill  into  him  some  of  his  own 
hope  and  confidence,  "  Fernando,  although  you're 
only  a  boy,  I've  no  fear  of  your  courage;  but  this 
Lieutenant  Matson  is  a  famous  duelist,  and  he  will 
try  to  shake  your  nerve.  Now  remember  that  ye 


THAT    *MII.K    AM»    THAT    KTKKNAI.    STAHK    1>I«*C  I)N<  KltTKI)    TIIK    KltlTISII    OPKIfKIC. 


FERNANDO' S  SERIOUS  SCRAPE.  153 

take  everything  that  happens- quite  with  an  air  of 
indifference;  don't  let  him  think  he  has  iny  ad- 
vantage over  ye,  and  you'll  see  how  the  tables  will 
be  turned  in  your  favor. " 

"Trust  me,  Terrence.  I'll  not  disgrace  you," 
Stevens  answered. 

"  You  are  twelve  minutes  late,  Mr.  Malone, " 
said  the  ensign,  who  acted  as  the  lieutenant's  sec- 
ond ;  "  but  we  shall  all  be  able  to  get  back  to 
breakfast — those  that  will  care  to  eat. " 

Not  to  be  outdone,  Terrence  said : 

"  All  will  be  at  supper;  but  your  friend  will  be 
where  he  is  eaten,  rather  than  eats." 

"Don't  be  too  sure;  the  lieutenant  has  killed 
his  sixth  man  in  affairs  like  this. " 

The  remark  was  of  course  intended  for  Fer- 
nando's  ears.  Sukey  heard  it  and  said: 

"Fernando,  that's  a  lie;  don't  you  believe  it. 
Aim  at  his  plaguy  head,  and  you  can  hit  it.  You 
used  to  snuff  a  candle  that  distance. " 

Fernando  smiled  while  he  kept  his  eye  on  the 
lieutenant.  That  smile  and  that  eternal  stare  dis- 
concerted the  English  officer,  and  he  turned  a  little 
pale.  There  was  something  about  the  imperturb- 
able youth  which  made  him  dread  the  meeting. 
Fernando  was  strangely,  unnaturally  calm.  Ten 
minutes  more,  and  he  might  be  in  eternity. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE    BELLE    OF    THE    BEACH. 

No  experienced  duelist  ever  entered  into  the 
business  with  more  earnestness  or  zeal  than  Ter- 
rence  Malone.  He  and  the  lieutenant's  second 
were  some  distance  away  settling  points  of  posi  - 
tion.  He  saw  three  or  four  men  in  the  uniform 
of  British  officers  coming  around  the  bluff,  among 
them  the  ship's  surgeon  with  a  case  of  instruments 
and  medicines  in  his  hand.  Captain  Conkerall, 
though  the  real  injured  party,  was  not  on  the 
scene.  His  lieutenant  readily  took  up  his  quarrel, 
on  account  of  his  jealousy  of  Fernando  who  had 
completely  usurped  his  place  as  the  favorite  of 
Miss  Morgianna  Lane. 

Arrangements  were  made  at  last,  and  Terrence 
came  to  his  friend,  took  his  arm  and  walked  him 
forward. 

"  Fernando,  me  boy,  we've  loaded  the  pistols. 
He  loaded  this  and  I  the  one  for  the  lieutenant,  I 
put  in  a  thumpin'  heavy  charge,  so  he'll  overshoot. 
I  am  to  give  the  word ;  but  don't  look  at  me  at  all. 
I'll  manage  to  catch  the  lieutenant's  eye,  and  do 
154 


THE  BELLE  OF  THE  BEACH.  155 

ye  watch  him  steadily,  aim  at  his  middle  and  fire 
when  he  does,  and  all  will  be  right. " 

They  were  all  the  while  moving  to  the  place 
selected  for  the  duel. 

"  I  think  the  ground  we  are  leaving  behind  us 
is  rather  better, "  said  someone.  "So  it  is,"  an- 
swered the  lieutenant  with  a  sneer;  "  but  it  might 
be  troublesome  to  carry  the  young  gentleman  down 
that  way;  here  all  is  fair  and  easy." 

In  a  few  moments  they  were  at  the  spot;  the 
ground  was  measured  off,  and  each  man  was  placed, 
and  Fernando  thought  there  was  no  chance  for 
either  escaping. 

"  Now  thin,"  said  Terrence.  "  I'll  walk  twelve 
paces,  count  'one,  two.  three,  fire!'  and  you  are 
both  to  fire  at  the  word  'fire.'  The  man  who  re- 
serves his  shot  or  shoots  a  second  before  falls  by 
my  hand!" 

This  stern  injunction  seemed  actually  to  awe  the 
Britons,  and  Fernando  fancied  that  he  saw  the 
lieutenant  trembling.  It  was  only  fancy  however. 
The  lieutenant  was  really  calm.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  advice  of  Terrence,  Fernando  could  not 
help  turning  his  eyes  from  the  lieutenant  to  watch 
the  figure  of  his  retiring  friend.  At  last  he  stopped 
— a  second  or  two  elapsed — he  wheeled  rapidly 
around.  Fernando  now  turned  his  eyes  toward  his 
antagonist. 


356  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Lieutenant  Matson  was  a  slender  man,  and  when 
he  turned  his  right  side  toward  Fernando,  he  was 
not  much  thicker  than  a  rail. 

"  One — two — three — fire ! " 

Fernando  watched  his  opponent,  and,  at  the  word, 
raised  his  pistol  and  fired.  His  hat  flew  from  his 
head,  the  crown  torn  completely  out,  while  his  an- 
tagonist leaped  into  the  air,  clapped  his  hand  to 
the  seat  of  his  trousers  and  fell  howling  upon  the 
ground.  The  people  around  Fernando  all  rushed 
forward,  save  Sukey,  who  came  to  his  friend  and, 
seeing  that  he  was  unhurt,  began  a  mild  reproof : 

"  Why  didn't  you  aim  higher,  Fernando?'1 

Terrence  came  back  a  moment  later' and,  burst- 
ing into  laughter,  said : 

"  Begorra !  this  will  interfere  with  his  sedentary 
habits  for  a  month.  Arrah,  me  boy,  it's  proud 
o'  ye  I  am." 

Fernando  caught  two  or  three  glances  thrown  at 
him  with  expression  of  revengeful  passion.  Half 
a  score  of  marines  were  seen  coming  around  the 
rocks,  and  Terrence  left  off  laughing.  The  three 
were  alone  against  five  times  their  number. 

Fernando  felt  some  one  grasp  him  around  the 
waist  and  hurry  him  from  the  spot,  and  ten  minutes 
later  they  were  in  the  boat  skimming  over  the  water 
back  toward  Baltimore. 

"  Put   on   ivery   divilish  stitch    o'    canvas  yer 


THE  BELLE  OF  THE  BEACH.  157 

tub  '11  carry. "  said  Terrence  to  Luff  Williams. 
"  The  Johnny  Bulls  won't  like  this  a  bit,  and  bad 
luck  to  us  if  they  git  their  hands  on  us. " 

Fernando,  now  that  the  nervous  strain  was  over, 
sank  back  in  the  boat,  almost  completely  exhausted. 

"  Fernando,  ye  did  it  illegintly,"  said  the  young 
Irishman. 

"Will  he  die?" 

"  Not  unless  the  doctors  kill  him  trying  to  dig 
it  out. " 

"I  hope  they  won't." 

(<  What  the  divil's  the  difference?  Before  this 
toime  next  year,  we'll  be  shootin'  redcoats  for 
sport. " 

"  Say,  what's  that,  shipmate?"  drawled  out  Luff 
Williams. 

"Where?" 

"Look  ahead." 

"A  long  boat  full  o'  British  marines!"  cried 
Terrence.  "  Boys,  I  don't  like  that.  Mr.  Luff 
Williams,  if  ye  want  a  whole  skin  over  yer  body 
pull  about  and  sail  down  the  coast  like  the  divil 
was  after  ye!" 

In  less  than  two  minutes'  time  their  craft  was 
put  about  and  went  flying  before  the  wind,  under 
a  full  stretch  of  canvas.  The  boat  impelled  by 
eight  stout  oarsmen  pressed  hard  in  their  wake. 

"Heave  to!    heave  to!"  cried  an  officer  in  the 


158  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

pursuing  boat.  "  Heave  to,  or  we  will  fire  on 
you!" 

"  Niver  mind  him,  me  friiid, "  said  Terrence  to 
the  man  at  the  rudder.  "I'll  tell  ye  when  to  lay 
low." 

They  were  in  long  musket  shot  distance,  and 
Williams  assured  them  that  if  they  could  round  a 
headland,  they  would  get  a  stiffer  breeze  and  out- 
sail their  pursuer. 

"  Are  they  gaining  on  us?"  Fernando  asked. 

"  Not  much,  if  any, "  was  the  response. 

Again  the  officer  in  the  bow,  making  a  speaking 
trumpet  of  his  hands,  shouted : 

"  Heave  to,  or  I  swear  I'll  fire  on  you!" 

"To  the  divil  with  you,"  roared  Terrence. 
"We've  downed  one  redcoat  in  fair  fight;  what 
more  do  ye  want,  bad  luck  to  ye?" 

The  officer  spoke  to  some  one  behind  him,  and 
a  musket  was  handed  him. 

Terrence  sprang  to  the  stern  saying : 

"  Now  look  out !  lay  low,  ye  lubbers !  the  black- 
guard's goin'  to  shoot!" 

The  officer  raised  his  musket,  and  a  moment  later 
a  puff  of  smoke  issued  from  the  muzzle. 

"  Down!"  cried  Terrence.  All  laid  low,  and  the 
next  second  the  report  of  a  musket  came  on  the 
air,  and  a  bullet  dropped  in  the  water,  a  little  to 
the  larboard. 


THE  BELLE  OF  THE  BEACH.  159 

"  They  are  coming  agin,"  cried  Terrence. 

"Haven't  you  sweeps  which  we  could  work?" 
asked  Fernando. 

There  was  a  pair  of  sweeps  in  the  craft,  and 
Terrence  and  Fernando  manned  them.  Though 
Fernando  was  a  little  awkward  at  first,  he  soon 
came  to  use  the  sweep  quite  effectively  and  helped 
the  little  craft  along. 

"  Do  we  gain  on  them?"  asked  Fernando. 

"Not  much,  if  any;"  the  helmsman  answered. 

At  this  moment,  three  or  four  muskets  were  fired 
from  the  boat,  and  the  balls  whistled  among  the 
sails  or  spattered  in  the  water.  Should  they  meet 
with  one  of  those  sudden  calms  which  frequently 
overtook  vessels  off  the  bay,  they  knew  they  would 
be  lost.  The  British  marines  were  laying  to  their 
oars  right  lustily,  and  the  boat  flew  over  the  waves. 

"Have  you  no  arms  in  the  boat?"  asked  Fer- 
nando. 

"  Nothin'  but  a  fowlin'  piece  and  some  goose 
shot." 

"Just  the  thing  for  me!"  declared  Sukey.  "I 
was  always  good  at  killin'  geese  on  the  wing." 

Sukey  hunted  up  the  gun  and  loaded  both  bar- 
rels heavily  with  shot  and  slugs.  Then  he  took 
up  his  post  in  the  stern,  ready  to  rake  the  long 
boat  fore  and  aft,  should  it  come  within  range  of 
his  formidable  gun.  The  officer  and  three  or  four 


160  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

marines  continued  to  load  and  fire,  until  the  boat 
was  out  of  the  harbor,  when  a  strong  breeze  struck 
her  sails'  and  sent  her  spinning  over  the  water. 

"  Huzzal^!  huzzah  !  we  are  gainin'  on'  em  now !" 
cried  Sukey,  flourishing  his  gun  in  the  air. 

The  British  fired  half  a  dozen  more  shots  at  the 
fleeing  boat;  but  the  bullets  began  dropping  be- 
hind. They  were  out  of  reach  of  their  longest 
range  muskets. 

"  There  ain't  no  danger  now,"  declared  Sukey. 
"  They  are  not  in  the  game. " 

The  breeze  continued  strong,  and  the  little  craft 
boldly  cleft  the  waters,  as  it  sped  forward  over  the 
bounding  waves. 

"  It's  no  use  to  be  wearing  ourselves  out,  Fer- 
nando, "  said  Terrence.  "  The  good  breeze  is  doin' 
more  for  us  than  a  hundred  oars  could  do. " 

They  put  in  their  sweeps  and,  mounting  the 
rail  aft,  clung  to  rigging,  and  shouted  derision  and 
defiance  at  their  pursuers. 

Although  the  Britons  had  little  hope  or  expec 
tation  of  overtaking  them,  yet,  with  that  bull -dog 
tenacity  characteristic   of   Englishmen,  they  con- 
tinued the  chase. 

"  That  danger  is  over, "  said  Terrence,  as  they 
once  more  resumed  their  seats  in  the  boat. 

"  What  would  they  have  done  with  us,  Terrence, 
had  they  captured  us?" 


THE  BELLE  OF  THE  BEACH.  161 

"  Faith,  it's  hard  telling ;  but  I  think  w^'d  found 
it  unpleasant. " 

"Wasn't  the  fight  fair?" 

"  As  fair  as  iver  one  saw;  but,  begorra,  it  didn't 
turn  out  the  way  they  expected. " 

"  Why,  la  sakes,  they  didn't  think  Fernando 
was  goin'  to  miss,  did  they?"  said  Sukey.  "He 
ain't  been  shootin'  squirrels  out  o'  the  tallest  trees 
in  Ohio  for  nothin'." 

"  This  lieutenant  thought  he  was  going  to  have 
some  sport  with  a  greenhorn. '' 

"  Can  you  see  them  yet  ? "  .asked  Fernando  of 
Williams,  who  sat  well  up  in  the  stern  holding  the 
helm. 

"Yes." 

"  How  far  are  they  away  ? " 

"  Two  or  three  miles. " 

"  And  still  a-coming?" 

"Yes." 

"Plague  take  'em!"  growled  Sukey,  "why  do 
they  follow  us  so  persistently?" 

"  May  be  they  think  to  get  us  when  we  go  ashore ; 
but,  bad  luck  to  thim,  they'll  find  it  tough  if  they 
come  af ther  us. " 

"  Fernando,  I  wish  we  had  our  rifles, "  growled 
Sukey.  "  Wouldn't  we  make  it  unprofitable  for 
the  redcoats ! " 

Fernando  was  rather  non-communicative,  and  sat 
11 


162  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

in  the  bow  of  the  boat  lost  in  painful  meditation. 
He  had  shed  blood.  It  was  the  first,  and,  although 
in  that  age  it  was  thought  highly  honorable,  he 
felt  an  inward  consciousness  that  dueling  was  both 
cowardly  and  brutal.  Fear  of  being  branded  a 
coward  had  nerved  him  to  face  the  pistol  of  his 
antagonist.  It  is  not  true  courage  that  makes 
the  duelist.  There  is  no  more  honor,  gentility,  or 
courage  in  dueling  than  in  robbing  a  safe.  The 
greatest  coward  living  may  be  a  burglar,  so  he 
may,  from  fear  of  public  scorn,  fight  a  duel.  Fer- 
nando had  much  to  regret.  He  felt  that  his  social 
standing  had  been  lowered ;  yet  he  was  happy  in 
the  thought  that  the  duel  had  had  no  fatal  results. 
Could  he  ever  return  to  the  school?  Could  he 
ever  return  to  his  home  and  face  his  Christian 
mother?  He  was  roused  from  his  painful  reverie 
by  a  loud  laugh  on  the  part  of  Terrence.  He  turned 
his  eyes  toward  the  jolly  fellow  and  found  him 
convulsed  with  mirth. 

"  What  ails  you,  Terrence?"  he  asked. 
"  Did  you  aim  at  the  spot  you  hit?" 
"  No;   I  aimed  at  a  more  vital  part;    but,  thank 
God,  I  missed,  and  now  I  am  happy." 

"  It's  more  than  the  lieutenant  is,  I'm  thinkin'. " 
"  But,  Terrence,  the  most  serious  question  is, 
what  are  we  going  to  do?" 

"  Now    that's   sensible.     Let   me   see,   Misther 


THE  BELLE  OF  THE  BEACH.  163 

Williams,  what's  the  nearest  port?  Isn't  there  a 
town  above  on  this  coast?" 

"  Yes,  not  more  than  ten  miles  away  around  that 
point  o'  land  we'll  find  a  willage. " 

"  Why  not  put  in  there?" 

"Yes,  we  kin;  but,  hang  it,  how  am  I  a-goin' 
to  git  back  to  Baltimore?" 

"  Oh,  that's  aisy  enough.     Run  in  after  night." 

"  Yes,  an'  be  sunk  by  the  blasted  Britishers!" 

"  He  won't  know  ye  after  dark." 

"  But,  Terrence,  what  are  we  to  do?"  asked  Fer- 
nando. 

"It's  do,  is  it? — faith,  do  nothin' !" 

"But  the  academy?" 

"  It  will  get  along  without  us. " 

"  But  can  we  get  along  without  it?" 

"Aisy,  mefrmd;  don't  be  alarmed.  We'll  be 
back  in  a  week  or  a  fortnight  at  most.  It  will  all 
blow  over,  and  no  one  will  ask  us  any  questions. 
Lave  it  all  to  me. " 

Fernando  had  almost  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
he  had  left  too  much  to  his  friend.  Terrence  had 
only  got  him  out  of  one  scrape  into  another,  until 
he  had  come  to  mistrust  the  good  judgment  and 
sound  discretion  of  his  friend.  Not  that  he  doubted 
the  good  intentions  of  Terrence.  He  had  as  kind 
a  heart  as  ever  beat  in  the  breast  of  a  young  Irish- 
man of  twenty-three;  but  his  propensity  to  mis- 


164  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

chievous  pranks  was  continually  getting  him  and 
his  friends  into  trouble. 

Fernando  went  to  the  fore  part  of  the  boat  and 
sat  by  Sukey. 

For  a  few  moments  both  were  silent.  Fernando 
was  first  to  speak. 

"  Sukey,  how  is  all  this  to  end?"  he  asked  with 
a  sigh. 

"I  don't  know,"  Sukey  answered,  in  his  pecu- 
liar, drawling  way.  "  We  needn't  complain, 
though ;  because  we  came  out  best  so  far. " 

"But  it  was  terrible,  shooting  at  him.  I  might 
have  killed  him. " 

"  He  might  have  killed  you,  and  that  would  have 
been  worse." 

"  I  never  thought  of  that. " 

"No  doubt  he  did." 

"  I  wish  we  were  back  in  the  college ;  but  I 
greatly  fear  we  will  be  expelled  in  disgrace.  It 
would  kill  our  mothers. " 

"No;  I  think  they  would  get  over  it;  but  I 
tell  you,  Fernando,  my  opinion  is,  it  don't  make 
much  difference. " 

"Why?" 

"  The  United  States  and  England  are  going  to 
fight.  I  got  a  paper  last  night,  and  it  was  chock 
full  of  fight,  and  as  for  your  shootin'  the  lieutenant, 
I  am  sure  everybody,  even  your  mother  and  the 


THE  BELLE  OF  THE  BEACH.  165 

faculty,  will  be  glad  of  it.  I  only  blame  you  for 
one  thing." 

"  What  is  that,  Sukey?" 

"  When  you  had  such  a  good  chance,  why  didn't 
you  aim  higher?" 

The  expression  on  Sukey 's  face  was  too  ludi- 
crous for  even  the  young  duelist,  and  he  laughed 
in  spite  of  himself. 

"  Helloa,  there's  the  town, "  cried  Sukey,  as  they 
rounded  a  headland  and  entered  the  mouth  of  a 
broad  bay,  standing  in  toward  a  beautiful  village. 
This  village  has  wholly  disappeared.  Railroads 
shunned  it,  and  the  water  traffic  being  too  small  to 
support  it,  it  degenerated  into  a  village  of  fisher- 
men, which,  in  1837,  was  totally  destroyed  by  fire, 
and  has  never  been  rebuilt.  Before  the  war  of 
1812,  it  was  a  neat,  flourishing  little  town. 

"Is  this  the  town  you  were  spakin'  about?" 
asked  Terrence  of  the  boatman. 

"Yes,  zur." 

"What  place  is  it?" 

"  Mariana. " 

"  Mariana, "  repeated  Fernando,  "  I  have  heard 
that  name  before.  Where  was  it?  Mariana, — 
Mariana. " 

Terrence  came  forward  to  his  companions  and 
said: 

''  Now,  lads,  like  as  not  the  frinds  of  Matson 


166  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

may  be  afther  following  us.  Lave  it  all  to  me. 
We'll  change  our  names  and  go  up  to  the  tavern, 
where  we'll  hire  rooms  and  be  gintlemen  traveling 
for  pleasure. " 

"  Would  they  dare  follow  us  on  shore?" 

"  No;  I  think  not;  but  if  they  should,  my  plan 
will  answer." 

When  they  ran  into  shore,  Terrence  paid  the 
boatman  and  discharged  him.  Terrence  was  the 
son  of  a  rich  Irish  merchant  in  Philadelphia,  who 
kept  his  son  liberally  supplied  with  money,  who, 
with  corresponding  liberality,  spent  it. 

Terrence  felt  that  this  was  his  scrape,  and  he 
resolved  to  bear  the  expenses. 

With  his  friends,  he  went  to  the  tavern,  where 
they  engaged  rooms.  Fernando  and  Sukey  retired 
to  their  rooms,  while  Terrence  remained  in  the 
tap-room,  where  there  was  a  crowd  of  Marylanders. 
He  began  telling  them  a  most  horrible  story  of  the 
impressment  of  himself  and  his  friends  by  a  British 
vessel  and  of  their  recent  escape.  He  stated  that 
they  had  been  closely  pursued,  and  he  would  not 
be  surprised  if  the  Britishers  sent  a  boat  on  shore 
to  take  them  away. 

He  could  not  have  chosen  a  better  theme  to  in- 
flame those  Marylanders.  One  tall,  raw-boned 
man,  who  carried  a  rifle  and  bullet  pouch  with  him, 
said: 


THE  BELLE  OF  THE  BEACH.  167 

"  Boys,  that  reminds  us  mightily  o'  Dick  Long." 

Ev6ry  Marylander  assembled  in  the  tap-room 
knew  the  sad  story  of  poor  Dick  Long.  He  was  a 
fisherman  with  a  wife  and  four  children  and  was 
loved  by  all  who  knew  him.  Dick  was  honest  and 
peaceable,  kind-hearted  and  brave.  One  day  his 
fishing  smack  was  driven  by  a  gale  some  distance 
out  at  sea,  when  a  British  cruiser  captured  him, 
and  he  was  impressed  into  his  majesty's  service. 
Dick  managed  after  many  weary  months  to  get  a 
letter  to  his  wife.  At  Halifax,  he  tried  to  desert, 
was  caught,  brought  back  and  lashed  to  the  "  long 
torn"  and  received  a  flogging  with  the  cat-o'-nine- 
tails. He  struck  the  cruel  boatsman,  and  was  lashed 
to  the  mast  and  flogged  until  he  died.  A  deserter 
from  the  ship  brought  home  his  dying  words,  which 
were  these :  "  Tell  my  American  brothers  to  avenge 
me." 

"  Remember  Dick  Long,  boys,  and  ef  they  come 
to  Mariana,  let  us  make  'em  wish  they  had  stayed 
away. " 

The  artful  Terrence  kindled  the  flame,  and  a 
short  time  after  sunset,  Fernando  and  Sukey  were 
awakened  from  a  doze  by  hearing  a  wild  uproar  on 
the  streets.  They  sprang  to  their  feet  and  ran  to 
the  window. 

Fifteen  or  twenty  officers  and  seamen  had  just 
landed  and  were  making  their  way  toward  the 


168  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

public  bouse,  when  they  were  assailed  by  a  hundred 
infuriated  Marylanders  with  sticks,  clubs,  stones, 
dirt,  old  tin  buckets  and  almost  every  conceivable 
weapon.  The  officer  in  command  was  trying  to 
explain  that  their  intentions  were  pacific,  that,  after 
rowing  for  ten  hours  against  the  wind  and  tide, 
they  were  tired  and  hungry ;  but  the  inexorable 
Marylanders  continued  to  shout: 

"Dick  Long,  Dick  Long!  Don't  forget  Dick 
Long!" 

Now  there  was  not  one  of  those  Britons  who  had 
ever  heard  of  Dick  Long  before,  and  they  could 
not  conceive  what  that  had  to  do  with  their  land- 
ing; nor  was  this  the  boat  crew  which  chased  our 
friends ;  yet  Terrence  continued  to  agitate  the  mat- 
ter. The  truth  is  Terrence  had  personally  declared 
war  against  Great  Britain  in  advance  of  the  United 
States  and  had  commenced  hostilities. 

"Down  with  the  bloody  backs!"  he  cried. 
"  Drive  thim  into  the  bay." 

The  officers  were  forced  to  return  to  their  boats 
and,  tired  as  they  were,  pull  down  the  coast  to 
Baltimore. 

Next  morning,  Fernando  rose  early  and,  after 
breakfast,  went  out  alone  to  look  about  the  village. 
It  was  located  in  a  picturesque  and  beautiful  spot. 
On  the  East  was  the  broad  bay  and  sea.  On  the 
West  were  undulating  hills  covered  with  umbra- 


THE  BELLE  OF  THE  BEACH.  169 

geous  forests.  To  the  South  were  some  promon- 
tories and  romantic  headlands,  against  which  the 
restless  waters  lashed  themselves  into  foam.  On  a 
hill  about  a  fourth  of  a  mile  from  the  village,  was 
a  large,  elegant  mansion  built  of  granite,  looking 
like  a  fairy  castle  in  the  distance.  A  broad  car- 
riage-drive, leading  through  an  avenue  of  chestnuts, 
led  up  to  the  great  front  gate.  The  mansion  was 
almost  strong  enough  for  r  iort  and  was  surrounded 
by  a  stone  wall  five  feet  high,  with  an  iron  picket 
fence  on  top  of  this. 

"Who  lives  in  the  great  house  on  the  hill?" 
Fernando  asked  a  man. 

"Old  Captain  Lane." 

"  Captain  Lane.  I  have  heard  of  him.  Has  he 
a  daughter?" 

"  Yes,  Morgianna. " 

"It's  the  same,"  he  thought,  as  he  wandered 
away  to  the  beach.  "  What  strange  providence  has 
brought  me  here?"  Fernando 's  regrets  were  in  a 
moment  changed  to  rejoicing.  He  was  glad  he 
had  quarrelled  with  the  lieutenant  and  had  been 
driven  away  to  Mariana. 

He  went  to  the  tavern  and  informed  Sukey  of  his 
discovery  and  said: 

"  I  am  going  to  contrive  in  some  way  to  speak 
with  her  again." 
.  "  Well,  don't  take  that  plaguey  Irishman  in  the 


170  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

game,  Fernando,"  said  Sukey.  "  If  you  do,  he'll 
make  a  precious  mess  o'  the  whole  thing." 

Terrence  was  enjoying  himself.  Before  he  had 
been  in  the  town  two  days,  he  knew  every  person 
in  it.  All  were  his  friends,  and  he  was  quite  a 
lion.  Terrence  only  hoped  that  a  man-of-war 
would  come  to  Mariana.  He  vowed  he  would  lead 
the  citizens  against  her,  capture  the  ship  and  keep 
her  for  coast  defence  of  Maryland. 

It  was  the  fourth  day  after  their  arrival,  that, 
as  Fernando  was  strolling  alone  according  to  his 
habit  on  the  beach,  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  sands 
meditating  on  the  recent  stirring  events,  he  sud- 
denly became  conscious  of  some  one  a  short  dis- 
tance down  the  beach.  He  looked  up  and  saw  a 
young  lady  with  a  parasol  in  one  hand  tripping 
along  the  sands,  now  and  then  picking  up  a  shell. 
In  an  instant  he  knew  her.  His  heart  gave  a  wild 
bound  and  then  seemed  for  a  instant  to  stand  still. 
Then  it  commenced  a  rapid  vibration  which  in- 
creased as  she  approached.  She  was  coming  toward 
him,  all  unconscious  of  his  presence  and  only  intent 
on  securing  the  most  beautiful  shells. 

Suddenly,  raising  her  eyes,  she  saw  a  handsome 
young  man  close  to  her.  He  tipped  his  hat,  smiled 
and  said :  "  Good  morning,  Miss  Lane. " 

"  Oh,  it's  you,  is  it?"  she  answered  with  a  little 
laugh.  "  Why,  I  declare,  how  you  frightened  me  1" 


THE  BELLE  OF  THE  BEACH.  171 

"  I  am  sorry  for  it. " 

"  Never  mind ;  I  will  survive  the  shock  ;  but  I 
know  why  you  came  to  Mariana, "  and  there  was  a 
roguish  twinkle  in  her  blue  eyes. 

"Do  you?" 

"  Yes,  you  fought  the  lieutenant  and  had  to  run 
away. " 

"  Miss  Lane,  how  did  you  learn  this?" 

"  Learn  it!  Don't  you  know  the  papers  are  full 
of  it?  Papa  read  it  this  morning  at  breakfast,  and 
he  laughed  until  he  cried.  Where  is  that  Irishman 
who  gets  you  into  so  many  funny  scrapes?" 

"  He  is  at  the  tavern. " 

"  Well,  papa  says  he  must  see  you.  He  has 
fought  duels  in  his  day,  and  he  thinks  you  a 
splendid  shot ;  but  it  was  naughty  of  you  to  fight 
without  consulting  me.  He  might  have  killed 
you." 

Fernando  was  now  the  happiest  man  on  earth. 

"  Miss  Lane,  don't  think  because  I  did  not  con- 
sult you,  I  did  not  think  of  you.  You  were  in  my 
mind  as  much  as  any  other  person  at  that  trying 
ordeal,  unless  it  was  my  mother." 

"  Oh,  don't  grow  sentimental.  Now  that  it  is 
all  over  and  not  much  harm  done,  let  us  laugh  at 
it; — but  I  want  to  scold  you." 

"Why?" 

"  You  did  not  obey  me  on  that  night.      I  told 


172 


SUSTAINED  HONOR. 


you  to  drink  no  more  wine,  and  after  I  left,  you 
drank  too  much,  which  provoked  the  quarrel. " 

Fernando,  who  really  had  no  clear  idea  of  the 
subject-matter     of    the 
quarrel,  answered: 

"  I  plead  guilty,  Miss 
Lane,  to  being  disobe- 
dient. Forgive  me,  and 


I  promise  to  make 
amends     in     the 
future.     Do  you 
know  him,  Lieu- 
tenant Matson?" 
"  Know    Lieu- 
tenant  Ma*tson? 
Certainly  I  do;  I 
have  known  him 
for  four  years.     Father  has  known  him  longer. " 
"  Does  he  ever  come  here  ? " 
"  Frequently. " 

"  If  he  comes  while  I  am  here,  we  will  have  the 
fight  out. " 


YOU  SURRENDER  EASILY. ' 


THE  BELLE  OF  THE  BEACH.       173 

"  No  you  won't." 

"Why?" 

"I  forbid  it." 

"Then  I  yield." 

"  You  surrender  easily, "  and  the  saucy  blue  eyes 
glanced  slyly  at  his  face.  Fernando  was  at  a  loss 
for  some  answer.  Suddenly  she  broke  in  with : 

"  I  must  go  now.  There,  I  see  father  on  the 
hill.  Won't  you  come  to  tea  this  evening? 
Father  would  like  so  much  to  see  you . " 

Of  course  he  would.  He  stammered  out  his 
thanks,  while  the  fairy-like  creature  tripped  away 
across  the  sands,  leaving  him  in  a  maze  of  bewil- 
derment. At  the  crest  of  the  hill,  she  paused  to 
wave  her  handkerchief,  smiled  with  ravishing 
sweetness,  and  disappeared  over  the  hill  with  her 
father. 


CHAPTER   IX. 
THE  ENGLISHMAN'S  DILEMMA. 

MORGIANNA  LANE  was  the  brightest  gem  in  the 
little  Maryland  village.  The  romantic  mystery 
which  enshrouded  her  birth  seemed  only  to  add  to 
the  charm  about  her.  Of  course  Fernando  could 
not  long  be  in  the  village  without  learning  that 
she  was  not  the  daughter  of  Captain  Lane,  but  a 
sea  waif. 

Frequently  foundlings  have  some  birth  mark  or 
scar  about  them,  or  there  is  some  letter  or  signifi- 
cant mark  about  their  clothing  by  which  in  after 
years  they  may  be  identified  and  their  parentage 
made  known ;  but  in  the  case  of  Morgianna  there 
was  no  probability  of  her  identity  ever  being  dis- 
covered. Her  plump  little  arms  were  utterly  de- 
void of  scar  or  mark ;  the  clothes  found  upon  the 
infant  had  no  initial  whatever,  and  were  cast  aside, 
just  as  other  worn-out  garments. 

Fernando  Stevens,  in  due  time,  called  on  Cap- 
tain Lane,  whom  he  found  to  be  as  jolly  an  old 
Jack  Tar  as  lives.  He  was  greatly  amused  at  the 
174 


THE  ENGLISHMAN'S  DILEMMA.  175 

escapade  of  the  student,  but  cautioned  him  against 
his  Irish  friend. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  this  Terrence  Malone  is  a 
good,  noble  young  fellow;  but  he  has  too  much 
native  mischief  in  his  composition,  and  will  get 
you  from  one  scrape  into  another  with  marvellous 
regularity.  I  don't  mean  that  you  should  cut  him 
adrift;  but  though  you  sail  in  company  with  him, 
do  not  allow  him  to  get  too  far  windward  of  you. 
When  you  see  he's  going  to  fly  right  into  the  teeth 
of  some  rash  fate,  get  on  the  other  tack,  that's  all. 
You  did  honorably,  however,  in  fighting  the  duel 
with  Lieutenant  Matson,  even  if  he  is  my  friend. " 

"  Is  he  your  friend?" 

"  Yes;  his  father  and  I  shipped  afore  the  mast 
when  we  were  boys  together.  When  the  war  broke 
out,  he  entered  the  British  navy  while  I  went 
aboard  a  Yankee  privateer.  I  am  glad  to  say  we 
never  met  in  battle. " 

Fernando  felt  himself  growing  just  a  little  bit 
uneasy.  He  did  not  like  this  friendship  between 
the  captain  and  Lieutenant  Matson ;  and  he  could 
see  that  the  old  seaman  was  glad  the  lieutenant's 
wound  was  not  fatal. 

What  strange  emotion  stirred  the  Ohio  student's 
soul,  when  he  met  the  soft  eyes  of  Morgianna, 
words  cannot  express.  She  talked  on  a  variety  of 
subjects,  and  at  times  Fernando  flattered  himself 


176  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

that  she  was  pleased  to  have  him  with  her;  but  the 
next  moment  he  reasoned  that  it  might  be  only  her 
good  breeding  which  made  her  appear  to  tolerate 
him.  Fernando  was  not  foolish  enough  to  be  con- 
ceited. He  lived  in  hope  and  doubt  and  was  the 
happiest  man  at  times,  and  at  others  the  most  mis- 
erable. Though  he  took  Sukey  into  his  confidence, 
Fernando  was  a  little  shy  of  Terrence. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  Terrence  had,  on 
entering  the  village,  suggested  the  propriety  of 
going  under  assumed  names.  Fernando  had  for- 
gotten, if  he  ever  knew,  that  he  was  registered  at 
the  tavern  as  Mr.  Phil.  Magrew  of  Hartford,  and 
that  good,  innocent  Sukey  was  George  Molesworth, 
while  Terrence  was  Larry  O'Connor,  a  name  quite 
in  keeping  with  his  nationality.  A  ludicrous  mis- 
take, which  came  near  being  fatal  to  Fernando's  re- 
spectability at  Mariana,  resulted  from  this  incident. 

They  had  been  a  week  at  the  tavern,  and  Fer- 
nando, who  had  lived  a  thousand  years  of  alter- 
nating bliss  and  agony  in  that  short  period,  was 
sitting  in  the  bar-room  in  front  of  a  great  roaring 
fire,  which  the  chill  evening  of  early  autumn  made 
comfortable,  utterly  oblivious  of  the  grumbling  of 
the  landlord,  who  was  saying: 

"  When  people  stay  a  whole  week  'thout  any 
luggage,  it  be  high  time  they  pay  up.  I  wonder 
Mr.  Magrew  don't  take  notice  on't. " 


THE  ENGLISHMAN'S  DILEMMA.  177 

The  supposed  Mr.  Magrew,  however,  did  not 
hear  what  he  said.  He  was  gazing  into  the  blaz- 
ing fire,  weaving  bright  pictures  from  which  the 
eyes  of  Morgianna  seemed  gazing  at  him.  Fer- 
nando had  forgotten  the  academy,  home,  parents 
and  all  in  this  new  inspiration.  Terrence  and 
Sukey  entered  while  the  landlord  was  still  grum- 
bling and  looking  hard  at  Fernando,  who  was  ut- 
terly oblivious  of  his  wrath. 

"Mister  Magrew,  be  ye  a  man  o1  honor?"  de- 
manded mine  host;  but  "  Mr.  Magrew"  was  as  in- 
different as  a  statue  of  stone.  "  The  wagabond 
sits  there  an'  hears  himself  abused  an'  be  too 
heedless  to  answer.  By  the  mass,  I  will  even 
tweak  his  nose!  Magrew — Magrew — I'll  wake 
you!" 

All  the  while  Terrence,  Sukey,  and  everybody 
else  was  wondering  whom  the  enraged  landlord 
meant.  Suddenly  Terrence  recollected  that  he  had 
registered  Fernando  under  the  name  of  Philip 
Magrew.  He  hastened  to  meet  the  landlord  before 
he  reached  Fernando,  and  thus  prevented  a  colli- 
sion, which  would  have  been  violent  indeed. 

"  Me  frind,  the  honorable  Misthur  Magrew,  is 
hard  o'  hearing,"  explained  the  Irishman  in  an 
undertone. 

"  Be  hard  o'  hearin'?  then  he  be  hard  o'  payin' 
too,"  answered  the  landlord.  "He  'ave  been  a 
12 


178  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

whole  veek  in  my  'ouse  and  not  one  pickyunne 
'ave  paid. " 

"  Lave  all  to  me, "  said  the  Irishman  in  his  con- 
ciliatory manner,  gently  leading  the  landlord  to 
another  part  of  the  room.  "  Ye  see  me  frind, 
knowing  his  infirmity,  asked  mesilf  to  pay  all  bills 
for  Misthur  Magrew,  and  he  gave  me  the  money. 
I  clear  forgot  it,  or  I  should  have  paid  you. " 

Then  Terrence  drew  forth  a  well -filled  purse, 
which  greatly  mollified  the  landlord,  and  when  all 
differences  were  squared,  he  was  completely  satis- 
fied, smiling  and  agreeable. 

Thus  Fernando  passed  over  a  dangerous  period 
in  his  life  and  never  knew  how  near  he  came  hav- 
ing his  nose  pulled;  nor  did  the  landlord  ever 
know  how  near  he  came  to  being  knocked  down 
for  such  an  attempt. 

Morgianna  had  spoken  on  one  occasion  of  the 
beauty  of  moonlight  on  the  seashore,  and  Fernando 
was  bold  enough  to  ask  the  pleasure  of  rowing 
herself  and  father  to  the  headlands  some  evening. 
She  assented.  The  old  sailor  had  a  friend  visiting 
at  his  house,  an  old  ex-sea-captain  like  himself, 
and  the  four  decided  to  make  the  voyage  across  the 
little  bay  and  sit  for  an  hour  on  the  rocky  promon- 
tory and  listen  to  the  "  dashing  waves. "  Fernando 
willingly  welcomed  the  acquaintance  as  a  fourth  to 
the  party,  for  he  was  shrewd  enough  to  see  that 


THE  ENGLISHMAN'S  DILEMMA.  179 

the  old  sailors  would  be  so  wholly  engrossed  with 
each  other,  that  they  would  scarcely  notice  the 
young  people,  and  Morgianna  and  he  would  be  left 
quite  to  themselves. 

Fernando,  though  an  amateur  at  the  oar,  would 
on  no  account  be  dissuaded  from  rowing  the  small 
boat  to  the  promontory;  and,  having  helped  Mor- 
gianna, who  was  lightest,  into  a  seat  in  the  bow  (in- 
expressible happiness)  he  cheerfully  took  his  seat 
at  the  oars  with  the  old  men  in  the  stern  facing 
each  other.  Then  the  little  craft  was  cast  loose, 
and  the  young  westerner  bent  to  his  oars  and  sent 
the  boat  swiftly  through  the  water.  Of  course 
Fernando's  back  was  toward  Morgianna,  and  he 
could  not  see  her,  save  when  he  twisted  his  head 
"  quite  off, "  which  he  did  frequently ;  but  he  could 
hear  her  silvery  voice  humming  snatches  of  a  song, 
or  her  dimpled  hand  playing  in  the  phosphorescent 
water  which  sparkled  like  flashes  of  fire  in  their 
wake.  The  old  men  kept  up  a  continual  talk,  for 
which  Fernando  was  exceedingly  grateful.  Finally 
the  promontory  was  gained,  and  in  a  quiet  little 
cove  Fernando  beached  his  boat  and,  springing  out, 
took  the  small,  white  hand  of  Morgianna  and  as- 
sisted her  to  the  dry  sands,  so  gallantly  that  her 
dainty  little  slippered  foot  did  not  touch  the  water. 

Then  the  whole  party  ascended  the  hill  to  the 
opposite  side  of  the  promontory  where  the  sea  was 


180  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

beating  furiously.  Fernando  was  almost  beside 
himself  with  joy  to  find  Morgianna  clinging  to  his 
arm  in  the  ascent,  and  to  hear  her  sweet  voice  in 
low,  gentle  tones  breathing  in  his  ear.  It  was  a 
fine,  clear  night,  and  for  all  her  lowness  of  spirits, 
Morgianna  kept  looking  up  at  the  stars  in  a  manner 
so  bewitching  that  Fernando  was  clear  out  of  his 
senses,  and  plainly  showed  that,  if  ever  a  man  were 
over  head  and  ears  in  love,  that  man  was  himself. 
The  path  they  were  ascending  was  quite  steep,  and 
Fernando  could  not  help  glancing  at  the  pretty 
little  hand,  encased  in  a  cream-colored  kid  glove, 
resting  on  his  arm.  If  Fernando  had  known  that 
an  executioner  were  behind  him  with  an  axe  raised, 
ready  to  cut  off  his  head  if  he  touched  that  hand, 
he  could  not  have  helped  doing  it.  From  putting 
his  own  right  hand  upon  it  as  if  by  chance,  and 
taking  it  away  again  after  a  minute  or  so,  and  then 
putting  it  back  again,  he  got  to  walking  along 
without  taking  it  off  at  all,  as  if  he,  the  escort, 
were  bound  to  do  that  as  an  important  duty,  and 
had  come  for  that  purpose.  The  most  curious 
thing  about  this  little  incident  was,  that  Morgianna 
did  not  seem  to  know  it.  She  looked  so  innocent  and 
unconscious  when  she  turned  her  eyes  on  Fernando, 
that  it  was  quite  provoking. 

She  talked  about  the  sea,  the  hills,  the  rocks, 
the  sky,  the  stars,    while  the  old  men  went  on 


THE  ENGLISHMAN'S  DILEMMA.  181 

ahead,  and  when  she  slipped  on  the  verge  of  a 
precipice  three  feet  high  and  came  near  falling  into 
a  pool  of  dirty  water,  and  he  saved  her  from  the 
fall  by  his  coolness  and  daring,  she  thanked  him 
and  told  him  how  grateful  she  was  that  he  was 
near,  and  he  said  something  about  how  happy  he 
would  be  to  be  always  near  her,  to  guard  her  foot- 
steps along  life's  rugged  pathway.  Then  she  said 
something  to  the  effect  that  it  would  be  pleasant  if 
one  could  always  have  one's  friends  near,  and  that 
she  hoped  they  would  always  be  friends  from  that 
time  forth.  And  when  Fernando  said,  "  not 
friends"  he  hoped,  Morgianna  was  quite  surprised 
and  said  not  enemies  she  hoped ;  and  when  Fer- 
nando suggested  that  they  might  be  something  bet- 
ter than  either,  Morgianna,  all  of  a  sudden,  found 
a  star,  which  was  brighter  than  all  the  other  stars, 
and  begged  to  call  his  attention  to  the  same,  and 
was  ten  times  more  innocent  and  unconscious  than 
ever. 

In  this  way,  they  journeyed  up  the  steep  ascent, 
talking  very  little  above  a  whisper,  and  wishing 
that  the  promontory  was  a  dozen  times  higher — at 
least,  such  was  Fernando's  wish — when  they  finally 
reached  the  top  and  saw  the  two  old  men  under  the 
lee  cliff  listening  to  the  ocean's  hollow  roar. 

Fernando  carried  a  robe  and  some  wraps  for 
Morgianna,  and  he  conducted  her  to  a  sheltered 


182  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

spot  below  the  first  ledge  of  rocks,  where  he  spread 
a  robe  for  her  to  sit  on,  and  then,  with  loving  fin- 
gers that  thrilled  with  each  touch,  adjusted  the 
wraps  about  her  shapely  little  shoulders.  For  a 
long  time  they  sat  listening  to  the  wild  roar  of  the 
angry  waters  below,  gazing  on  the  phosphorescent 
flashes,  where  the  swelling  waves  broke  in  crested 
splendor  on  the  well-worn  rocks. 

He  was  first  to  break  the  silence. 

"  Miss  Lane,"  he  said,  "  had  I  known  that  Lieu- 
tenant Matson  was  your  personal  friend,  I  would 
have  suffered  disgrace  rather  than  encountered 
him." 

With  a  smile,  she  answered : 

"  It  all  turned  out  right.  The  lieutenant  was 
scarcely  injured  at  all." 

"  Have  you  heard  of  him?" 

"  I  have  heard  from  him,"  she  answered,  glanc- 
ing slyly  at  Fernando  from  the  corners  of  her  ro- 
guish eyes.  "  He  wrote  me  a  letter  which  I  received 
to-day." 

Fernando  felt  a  pain  at  his  heart,  but  it  was 
nothing  to  compare  with  the  shame  and  mortifica- 
tion which  followed.  'She  informed  him  that  Lieu- 
tenant Matson  was  so  slightly  wounded,  that  his 
seconds  decided  on  a  second  fire,  and  sent  a  boat 
to  inform  them  as  they  had  left  the  beach,  but  that, 
although  they  chased  the  Americans  for  miles,  they 


THE  ENGLISHMAN'S  DILEMMA.  183 

could  not  bring  them  back.  Fernando  was  stunned 
by  the  information,  and  filled  with  mortification 
and  chagrin. 

"  Do  you  think  I  am  afraid  to  meet  him  again?" 
he  asked,  his  voice  trembling  with  ill -suppressed 
excitement. 

"  I  don't  know;  but  you  won't,  anyway — you 
are  both  my  friends,  and  my  friends  shall  not 
fight." 

Fernando  made  no  answer,  but  at  that  moment 
he  would  very  much  have  liked  to  knock  her  friend 
on  the  head.  Of  course  a  second  meeting  with  the 
Briton  would  now  have  been  highly  pleasing  to 
the  student;  but  it  was  out  of  the  question.  The 
hour  on  the  promontory  was  passed  in  alternating 
bliss  and  misery,  and  when  the  time  came  to  re- 
turn, he  was  no  nearer  the  subject  dearest  of  all 
subjects  than  before. 

He  hastened  back  to  the  tavern,  where  he  found 
his  Irish  friend  playing  cards  with  the  landlord 
and  winning  several  weeks'  board  in  advance. 

"  Terrence,  it  is  a  fine  fix  you  got  me  in  by  hur- 
rying away  from  the  sands  so  soon  that  morning," 
he  said  angrily,  when  he  got  him  to  his  room. 

"  Why,  me  boy,  what  d'ye  mane?" 

"  That  lieutenant  was  only  slightly  wounded, 
and  that  boat  was  chasing  us  to  bring  us  back  for 
another  shot. " 


184  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"  So  ye've  heard  it  at  last,  me  frind?" 

"  Certainly  I  have,  and  now  I  will  be  branded 
as  a  coward." 

"  Lave  it  all  to  me.  The  Britishers  are  in  trouble 
enough.  Sure,  haven't  ye  read  the  Baltimore 
papers?  Captain  Conkerall  is  to  be  tried  by  a 
court-martial  for  gettin'  bastely  drunk  and  goin' 
abroad  with  no  garment  but  his  shirt,  and  a  sheet 
with  a  hole  in  it."  Terrence  laughed  until  the 
tears  trickled  down  his  cheeks.  Fernando  could 
not  see  how  he  could  help  fighting  the  lieutenant 
again  if  he  demanded  satisfaction ;  but  the  Irishman 
was  quite  sure  the  lieutenant  would  have  enough  to 
do  to  keep  his  captain  out  of  his  dilemma.  Sukey, 
who  had  entered  during  their  conversation,  said : 

u  Oh,  Fernando,  why  didn't  you  aim  higher  and 
blow  his  head  off?" 

"  Why  did  the  lieutenant  challenge  me,  when 
the  captain  was  the  injured  party?"  asked  Fer- 
nando. 

Terrence  explained  that,  while  the  Captain  was 
really  the  injured  party,  it  was  a  matter  of  courtesy 
that  his  officer  lower  in  rank  should  take  the  quar- 
rel upon  himself,  more  especially  as  Fernando  had 
been  his  successful  rival  at  the  ball.  From  this, 
the  conversation  gradually  led  to  Morgianna  her- 
self, and  Terrence  laughed  and  winked,  and  called 
Fernando  a  lucky  dog. 


THE  ENGLISHMAN'S  DILEMMA.  185 

"  Go  in,  me  boy,  and  if  ye  nade  any  help,  I  am 
at  hand." 

"  I  fear  I  have  injured  my  prospects  there, "  said 
Fernando. 

"How?" 

"  By  the  duel.     Lieutenant  Matson   is  an   old 
friend  of  the  captain,  and  1  believe  a  suitor  for  the 
hand  of  his  daughter.      What  show  has  a  school- 
boy  against  a  lieutenant  in   the  English  navy?— 
none. " 

"  Yes  he  has, "  declared  Terrence. 

"  What  show  can  he  have?" 

"  Lave  it  all  to  me,  me  frind,  and  I  will  bring 
ye  out  all  right,  see  if  I  don't." 

"  I  have  left  too  many  things  to  you,  Terrence, 
and  you  have  a  most  remarkable  faculty  for  getting 
me  into  trouble. " 

Terrence  assured  him  that  he  would  yet  aid 
him  to  outgeneral  the  Englishman,  and  he  only 
wished  that  he  might  come  into  port  during  their 
stay. 

"  Terrence,  you  must  take  no  advantage  of  the 
public  hatred  of  the  English  to  accomplish  your 
purpose.  Remember,  Lieutenant  Matson  is  the 
son  of  Captain  Lane's  friend.  You  might  raise  a 
mob  and  have  him  driven  away;  but  I  will  not 
consent  to  it. " 

"  Indade,  I  don't  mane  it,  me  boy.     Lave  it  to 


186  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

me.  If  he  comes  ashore,  faith,  we'll  out-gineral 
him,  sure." 

Next  day  there  came  letters  for  the  runaways. 
Terrence's  father,  being  wealthy  and  influential, 
had  gone  to  Baltimore,  interceded  with  the  faculty 
and  had  the  runaway  scapegraces  retained.  There 
were  also  letters  from  the  parents  of  the  young 
men,  condemning,  but  at  the  time  forgiving  and 
warning  them  to  be  more  careful  in  the  future. 

It  was  some  distance  by  the  road  to  Baltimore, 
and  the  boys  decided  to  take  passage  in  a  coasting 
schooner  which  was  loading  with  barley  and  would 
be  ready  to  go  in  three  days. 

One  morning,  two  days  before  their  intended 
departure,  Fernando,  on  going  out  upon  the  street, 
was  surprised  and  really  alarmed  to  see  an  English 
man-of-war  anchored  in  the  little  harbor  of  Mari- 
anna.  His  uneasiness  was  greatly  increased  on 
reading  the  name  Xenophon  on  the  broad  pennant 
floating  from  the  main  mast.  His  enemy  was  in 
port,  and  he  could  guess  his  object,  especially  when 
he  saw  Captain  Lane's  carriage  waiting  on  the 
sands  while  Lieutenant  Matson  was  being  rowed 
ashore.  Fernando  gnashed  his  teeth  and  there 
were  some  ugly  thoughts  in  his  heart. 

Sukey  who  had  come  out  hastened  to  his  side 
and  reading  his  thoughts  said : 

"  Now  don't  you  wish  you  had  aimed  higher?" 


THE  ENGLISHMAN'S  DILEMMA.  187 

The  citizens,  noticing  the  approach  of  an  English 
war  vessel,  began  to  congregate  in  a  large  body  on 
the  north  side  of  the  village,  and  their  demonstra- 
tions were  decidedly  hostile  to  the  landing  of  the 
Briton.  Suddenly  Captain  Lane  appeared  among 
them,  waving  his  staff  and  shouting.  Having 
gained  their  attention,  the  old  sea-captain  mounted 
the  stile  near  the  village  store  and  said : 

"  Shipmates  and  friends,  the  man  coming  ashore 
is  the  son  of  a  man  whom  I  loved.  I  have  sent 
my  carriage  down  to  bring  him  to  my  house  where 
he  is  to  be  my  guest.  You  have  all  heard  me  tell 
how  his  father  saved  my  life.  Would  you  injure 
him  now,  when  he  comes  to  pay  me  a  friendly 
visit?"  In  a  short  time  the  crowd  dispersed,  and 
Lieutenant  Matson  landed,  entered  the  carriage  and 
was  driven  to  the  house  of  Captain  Lane. 

From  the  street,  Fernando,  with  bitter  feelings 
in  his  heart,  saw  the  carriage  ascend  the  hill.  He 
turned  about  and  entered  the  tavern,  went  to  his 
room  and  shut  himself  up.  Here  he  remained  until 
the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  when  there  came  a 
knock  at  the  door,  and,  on  opening  it,  he  was  as- 
tonished to  find  one  of  the  negroes  of  Captain 
Lane's  house.  He  was  dressed  in  livery  and  held 
a  note  in  his  hand,  which  he  gave  to  "  Mistah 
Stevens, "  bowed  politely  and  awaited  his  answer. 

The  utter  amazement  of  Fernando  can  better  be 


188  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

imagined  than  described  at  finding  the  note  from 
Miss  Morgianna  Lane  inviting  himself  and  his 
friends  to  tea  that  evening  with  themselves,  Lieuten- 
ant Matson  and  ensign  Post  of  his  majesty's  ship 
Xenophon.  Had  Fernando  been  summoned  to  u 
command  in  his  majesty's  navy,  he  could  not  have 
been  more  astonished.  He  hesitated  a  moment  and 
then  decided  to  accept.  This  Englishman  should 
neither  out-do  him  in  generosity  nor  affrontery. 
Besides,  the  invitation  came  from  Morgianna.  and 
he  could  not  refuse.  He  wrote  a  polite  answer, 
accepting  the  kind  invitation  and  went  to  find 
Sukey  and  Terrence.  Sukey  thought  it  would  be 
a  little  odd  for  Fernando  to  meet  a  man  with  whom 
he  had  exchanged  shots;  but  Terrence  declared  it 
was  the  only  "  dacint"  thing  to  do.  They  were 
not  "  haythin,"  to  bear  grudges. 

Consequently  they  went.  The  minds  of  the 
Americans  were  filled  with  doubt  and  perplexity, 
while  the  Irishman  was  chuckling  at  a  plan  his 
cunning  brain  was  evolving,  and  which  he  deter- 
mined to  put  in  execution.  The  Englishmen  met 
the  Americans  very  cordially,  and  Lieutenant  Mat- 
son,  who  was  every  inch  a  gentleman,  did  not  dare 
be  other  than  genteel  in  the  presence  of  the  lady  he 
loved;  for  he  was  as  passionately  in  love  with 
Morgianna  as  was  Fernando.  The  lieutenant  was 
of  a  romantic  turn  of  mind,  and  the  mystery  of  the 


THE  ENGLISHMAN'S  DILEMMA.  189 

sea  waif  had  interested  him.  He  was  quite  sure 
she  was  the  daughter  of  some  nobleman.  He  had 
read  in  romances  so  many  cases  similar  to  hers, 
that  he  could  not  believe  this  would  turn  out 
otherwise. 

When  Fernando  and  the  lieutenant  had  shaken 
hands  and  mutually  agreed  to  bury  all  past  differ- 
ences, had  they  not  been  rivals  they  might  have 
become  friends,  for  each  recognized  in  the  other 
some  qualities  that  were  admirable. 

The  beauty  of  a  lovely  woman  is  like  music, 
rich  in  cadence  and  sweet  in  rhythm ;  but  that 
beauty  must  be  for  one  alone.  It  cannot,  like 
music,  be  shared  with  others.  The  best  of  friends 
may,  as  rivals,  become  the  bitterest  foes.  Fer- 
nando did  not  like  the  Englishman,  for,  with  all 
his  blandness,  he  thought  he  could  observe  a  pomp- 
ous air  and  self-consciousness  of  superiority,  dis- 
gusting to  sensible  persons.  This  might  have  been 
prejudice  or  the  result  of  imagination,  yet  he  real- 
ized that  he  was  in  the  presence  of  an  ambitious 
rival,  who  would  go  to  any  length  to  gain  his  pur- 
pose. 

The  most  careful  and  disinterested  observer 
could  not  have  discovered  any  preference  on  the 
part  of  Morgianna.  When  they  came  to  the  table, 
she  had  the  lieutenant  on  one  side  and  Fernando 
on  the  other.  The  old  captain  at  the  head  en- 


190  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

grossed  much  of  Lieutenant  Matson's  time  talking 
about  his  father,  greatly  to  the  annoyance  of  the 
officer.  When  Matson  came  to  take  his  seat  at  tlie 
table,  Terrence,  who  sat  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  lieutenant,  whispered : 

"  Aisy!" 

The  lieutenant  bit  his  lips  and  his  face  flushed 
angrily,  while  Sukey,  who  sat  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  Irishman,  snickered,  and  Morgianna  bit  her 
pretty  lip  most  cruelly  in  trying  to  conceal  the 
merriment  which  her  roguish  eyes  expressed. 

This  was  the  only  break  made  by  the  Irishman 
that  evening.  He  played  his  part  with  consum- 
mate grace  and  had  such  a  way  of  winning  the 
favor  of  people,  that,  before  the  evening  was  over, 
the  Englishman  actually  came  to  like  him.  He 
praised  the  country  about  Mariana,  and  talked  of 
the  harbors  and  islands,  declaring  he  knew  them 
all  from  Duck  Island  to  the  Chesapeake.  He  found 
Lieutenant  Matson  somewhat  of  a  sport,  and  soon 
interested  him  in  stories  of  duck  shooting,  all  of 
which  were  inventions  of  his  own  ingenious  brain. 
Miss  Morgianna  praised  the  wild  ducks  of  Mary- 
land and  thought  their  flesh  equal  to  English  Ca- 
pons. The  lieutenant,  in  his  gallantry,  vowed  she 
should  have  half  a  dozen  brace  of  fowls  before  he 
left,  and  Terrence  volunteered  to  assist  him. 

Fernando  was  amazed  at  the  course  of  his  friend. 


THE  ENGLISHMAN'S  DILEMMA.  19 1 

The  man-of-war  was  to  sail  the  same  day  their 
schooner  did,  and  he  had  just  determined,  by  the 
aid  of  Terrence,  to  bag  five  dozen  brace  of  ducks 
for  the  belle  of  Mariana,  when  his  friend  went 
boldly  over  to  the  enemy. 

"I'll  give  it  to  him,  when  I  get  a  chance,"  he 
thought. 

There  was  only  one  more  night  in  which  they 
could  shoot  ducks,  and  Terrence  was  engaged  for 
that  occasion.  Fernando  sighed  and  ground  his 
teeth  in  rage  and  disappointment,  while  Morgianna, 
with  Sukey  on  one  side  and  Ensign  Post  on  the 
other,  went  to  a  large  Broadwood  piano,  where  she 
soon  entertained  all  with  her  music. 

As  they  went  to  their  tavern  that  night,  Fer- 
nando said: 

"  A  nice  way  you  have  treated  me,  Terrence,  you 
who  profess  to  be  my  friend. " 

"  What  the  divil  ails  the  boy?"  asked  Terrence. 

"  You  have  volunteered  to  aid  the  lieutenant  go 
ducking — 

"Aisymeboy!  While  the  lieutenant  is  after 
ducks,  lose  no  time  with  the  girl.  Don't  ye  see 
I'm  getting  him  out  of  yer  way?" 

Fernando  had  not  thought  of  it  in  that  light. 
On  the  next  evening,  the  last  they  were  to  spend 
at  Mariana,  the  lieutenant  was  rowed  ashore  attired 
for  sporting,  with  top-boots  and  a  double-barrelled 


192  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

fowling  piece.  Terrence,  who  claimed  to  be  an 
experienced  hunter,  advised  him  to  "  kape  their 
intintions  sacrit, "  as  too  many  might  want  to  go, 
and  that  would  spoil  the  sport.  Ducks  could  best 
be  hunted  after  night.  He  would  show  him  how 
it  was  done. 

It  was  almost  dark,  when  they  set  off  in  a  small 
rowboat  for  Duck  Island,  and  twenty  minutes  later 
Fernando  was  on  his  way  to  his  farewell  visit  to 
Morgianna. 

The  sun  had  set,  but  it  was  not  yet  dark  when 
Fernando  reached  the  broad  piazza.  He  asked 
himself  if  she  would  be  at  home  or  away.  He 
had  said  nothing  of  his  coming.  This  visit  was 
wholly  on  his  own  account.  He  had  walked  up 
and  down  the  piazza  two  or  three  times,  when 
through  the  open  door  he  caught  the  flutter  of  a 
garment  on  the  stairway.  It  was  Morgianna's — 
to  whom  else  could  it  belong?  No  dress  but  hers 
had  such  a  flow  as  that.  He  gathered  up  courage 
and  followed  it  into  the  hallway. 

His  darkening  the  door,  into  which  the  sombre 
shadows  of  twilight  were  already  creeping,  caused 
her  to  look  around.  "  Oh  that  face!  If  it  hadn't 
been  for  that, "  thought  Fernando,  "  I  could  never 
have  faced  the  Briton.  She  is  twenty  times  hand- 
somer than  ever.  She  might  marry  a  Lord!" 

He  didn't  say  this.      He  only  thought  it — per- 


THE  ENGLISHMAN'S  DILEMMA.  193 

haps  looked  it  also.  Morgiarma  was  glad  to  see 
him  and  was  so  sorry  her  father  was  away  from 
home.  Fernando  begged  she  would  not  worry 
herself  on  any  account. 

Morgianna  hesitated  to  lead  the  way  into  the 
parlor,  for  there  it  was  nearly  dark.  At  the  same 
time  she  hesitated  to  stand  talking  in  the  hall, 
which  was  tolerably  light  from  the  open  door. 
They  still  stood  in  the  hall  in  an  embarrassing 
position,  Fernando  holding  her  hand  in  his  (which 
he  had  no  right  to  do,  for  Morgianna  had  only 
given  it  to  him  to  shake),  and  yet  both  hesitated 
to  go  or  stay  anywhere. 

"  I  have  come, "  said  Fernando,  "  to  say  good-bye 
— to  say  good-bye,  for  I  don't  know  how  many 
years;  perhaps  forever.  I  am  going  away." 

Now  this  was  exactly  what  he  should  not  have 
said.  Here  he  was,  talking  like  a  gentleman  at 
large,  who  was  free  to  come  and  go  and  roam  about 
the  world  at  his  pleasure,  when  he  had  expressed 
both  in  actions  and  words  that  Miss  Lane  held  him 
in  adamantine  chains. 

Morgianna  released  her  hand  and  said: 

"Indeed!" 

She  remarked  in  the  same  breath  that   it  was 
a  fine  night  and,  in  short,  betrayed  not  the  least 
emotion.     With  despair    still    settling    over    his 
heart,  Fernando  said : 
13 


194  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"  I  couldn't  go  without  coming  to  see  you.  I 
hadn't  the  heart  to." 

Morgianna  was  more  sorry  than  she  could  tell 
that  he  had  taken  the  trouble.  It  was  a  long  walk 
up  the  hill,  and  as  he  was  to  sail  next  day,  he 
must  have  a  deal  to  do;  as  if  she  did  not  know 
that  he  had  not  brought  even  a  trunk  with  him. 
Then  she  wanted  to  know  how  Mr.  Winners  was 
and  Mr.  Malone.  She  thought  the  Irishman  a 
capital  good  fellow,  and  was  sure  no  one  could 
help  liking  him. 

"  Is  this  all  you  have  to  say?"  Fernando  asked. 

All !  Good  gracious,  what  did  the  man  expect? 
She  was  obliged  to  take  her  apron  in  her  hand  and 
run  her  eyes  along  the  hem  from  corner  to  corner, 
to  keep  herself  from  laughing  in  his  face; — not  be- 
cause his  gaze  confused  her — not  at  all. 

This  was  Fernando 's  first  experience  in  love 
affairs,  and  he  had  no  idea  how  different  young 
ladies  are  at  different  times.  He  had  expected  a 
far  different  scene  from  the  one  which  was  being 
enacted.  All  day  long  he  had  buoyed  himself  up 
with  an  indistinct  idea  that  she  would  certainly 
say,  "Don't  go,"  or  "Don't  leave  us,"  or  "  Why 
do  you  go?"  or  "  Why  do  you  leave  us?"  or  would 
give  him  some  little  encouragement  of  that  sort. 
He  had  even  entertained  the  possibility  of  her 
bursting  into  tears,  of  her  throwing  herself  into  his 


THE  ENGLISHMAN'S  DILEMMA.  195 

arms,  or  falling  down  in  a  fainting  fit,  without 
previous  word  or  sign ;  but  any  approach  to  such  a 
line  of  conduct  as  this  was  evidently  so  far  from 
her  thoughts,  that  he  could  only  look  at  her  in 
silent  wonder.  The  hated  English  rival  had  won 
her  heart,  and  she  was  even  glad  he  was  going ;  yet 
it  was  so  hard  to  give  her  up. 

Morgianna,  in  the  meanwhile,  turned  to  the  cor- 
ners of  her  apron  and  measured  the  sides,  and 
smoothed  out  the  wrinkles,  and  was  as  silent  as  he. 
At  last,  after  a  long  pause,  he  said  good-bye. 

"  Good-bye, "  answered  Morgianna  with  as  pleas- 
ant a  smile  as  if  he  were  only  going  for  a  row  on 
the  water  and  would  return  after  supper;  "good- 
bye." 

"Come,"  said  Fernando,  putting  out  his  hands, 
"  Morgianna,  dear  Morgianna,  let  us  not  part  like 
this.  I  love  you  dearly,  with  all  my  heart  and 
soul,  with  as  much  sincerity  and  truth  as  man  ever 
loved  woman.  I  am  only  a  poor  student;  but  in 
this  new  world  every  thing  is  possible.  You  have 
it  in  your  power  to  make  me  a  grand  and  noble 
man,  or  crush  from  this  heart  every  ambitious 
hope.  You  are  wealthy,  beautiful,  admired,  loved 
by  everybody  and  happy ; — may  you  ever  be  so ! 
Heaven  forbid  I  should  ever  make  you  otherwise; 
but  give  me  one  word  of  comfort.  Say  something 
kind  to  me.  I  have  no  right  to  expect  it  of  you, 


196  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

I  know;  but  I  ask  it  because  I  love  you,  and  I 
shall  treasure  the  slightest  word  from  you  all 
through  my  life.  Morgianna,  dearest,  have  you 
nothing  to  say  to  me?" 

No,  nothing.  Morgianna  was  a  coquette  by  na- 
ture, and  a  spoilt  child.  She  had  no  notion  of 
being  carried  off  by  storm  in  this  way.  Fernando 
had  no  business  to  be  going  away.  Besides,  if  he 
really  loved  her,  why  did  he  not  fall  on  his  knees 
like  lovers  in  romance  or  on  the  stage,  and  tug 
wildly  at  his  cravat,  or  talk  in  a  wild,  poetic 
manner? 

"  I  have  said  good-bye  twice,"  said  Morgianna. 
"  Take  your  arm  away,  or  I  will  call  some  one. " 

"  I  will  not  reproach  you,"  Fernando  sadly  an- 
swered. "It's  no  doubt  my  fault,  "he  added  with 
a  sigh.  u  I  have  thought  sometimes  that  you  did 
not  quite  despise  me ;  but  I  was  a  fool  to  do  so. 
Every  one  must,  who  has  seen  the  life  I  have  led 
of  late — you  most  of  all,  for  it  was  he  at  whose 
life  I  aimed.  God  bless  you !" 

He  was  gone,  actually  gone.  She  waited  a  little 
while,  thinking  he  would  return,  peeped  out  of 
the  door,  looked  down  the  broad  carriage  drive  as 
well  as  the  increasing  darkness  would  allow,  saw  a 
hastily  retreating  shadow  melt  into  the  general 
gloom,  came  in  again,  waited  a  little  longer,  then 
went  up  to  her  room,  bolted  herself  in,  threw  her- 


THE  ENGLISHMAN'S  DILEMMA.  197 

self  on  her  bed  and  cried  as  if  her  heart  would 

break. 

*  ***** 

Meanwhile,  Terrence  Malone  and  the  lieutenant, 
Fernando's  rival,  were  rowing  toward  Duck  Island 
five  or  six  miles  away.  The  island  was  reached. 
It  was  a  dismal  affair  little  more  than  an  elevated 
marsh.  When  the  tide  was  out  on  Duck  Island, 
its  extended  dreariness  was  potent.  Its  spongy, 
low-lying  surface,  sluggish,  inky  pools  and  tortu- 
ous sloughs,  twisting  their  slimy  way,  eel-like, 
toward  the  open  bay  were  all  hard  facts.  Occa- 
sionally, here  and  there,  could  be  seen  a  few  green 
tussocks,  with  their  scant  blades,  their  amphibious 
flavor  and  unpleasant  dampness.  And  if  you  chose 
to  indulge  your  fancy,  although  the  flat  monotony 
of  Duck  Island  was  not  inspiring,  the  wavy  line  of 
scattered  drift  gave  an  unpleasant  consciousness  of 
the  spent  waters  and  made  the  certainty  of  the  re- 
turning tide  a  gloomy  reflection,  which  sunshine 
could  not  wholly  dissipate.  The  greener  salt 
meadows  seemed  oppressed  with  this  idea  and 
made  no  positive  attempt  at  vegetation.  In  the 
low  bushes,  one  might  fancy  there  was  one  sacred 
spot  not  wholly  spoiled  by  the  injudicious  use  of 
too  much  sea  water. 

The  vocal  expressions  of  Duck  Island  were  in 
keeping  with  its  general  appearance,  melancholy 


HE  SAT  DOWN  ON  A  BROKEN  HAST. 


and  depressing.  The  se- 
pulchral boom  of  the  bit- 
tern, the  shriek  of  the 
curlew,  the  scream  of  the 
passing  brent,  the  wran- 
gling of  quarrelsome  teal, 
the  sharp,  querulous  pro- 
test of  the  startled  crane, 
were  all  beyond  powers 
of  written  expression. 
The  aspect  of  these  mourn- 
ful fowls  was  not  at  all 

cheerful  or  inspiring,  as  the  boat  containing  the 
Irishman  and  lieutenant  approached  the  island. 
Through  the  gathering  gloom  of  night  could  be 
seen  a  tall  blue  heron,  standing  midleg  deep  in 
water,  obviously  catching  cold  in  his  reckless  dis- 
regard for  wet  feet  and  consequences.  The  mourn- 
ful-curlew, the  dejected  plover  and  the  low-spirited 
snipe,  who  sought  to  join  him  in  his  suicidal  con- 
templations, the  raven,  soaring  through  the  air  on 
restless  wings,  croaking  his  melancholy  complaints 
were  not  calculated  to  add  to  the  cheerfulness  of 
the  scene. 

It  was  evident  that  even  the  inhabitants  of  Duck 
Island  were  not  happy  in  its  possession  and  looked 
forward  with  pleasure  to  the  season  of  migration. 
The  boat  touched  the  north  shore,  and  Lieuten- 


THE  ENGLISHMAN'S  DILEMMA.  199 

ant  Matson  jumped  out  in  mud  up  to  his  knees, 
frightening  some  wild  fowls  which  flew  screaming 
away.  The  Englishman  gave  vent  to  some  strong 
language,  and  desired  to  know  if  there  was  not  a 
better  landing  place.  Terrence  assured  him  there 
was  not,  and  complained  that  ducks  never  sought 
a  "  dacint  place"  for  their  habitation.  Nothing 
but  the  glorious  reflection  that  he  was  making 
himself  a  martyr  for  Morgianna's  sake  could  have 
induced  the  officer  to  take  the  torches  and  wade  to 
the  low  bushes,  where  he  was  instructed  to  make  a 
light  and  wait  until  his  companion  rowed  around 
the  island  and  drove  the  ducks  in  great  flocks  to 
the  light,  which  he  assured  the  Briton  would  at- 
tract them,  and  they  would  fall  at  his  feet  as  if 
begging  to  be  bagged. 

Slowly  the  officer  waded  through  the  dismal 
marsh  to  the  higher  land,  where  grew  the  low 
bushes,  and  by  the  use  of  his  tinder  box  kindled 
a  light  and,  wrapping  his  boat  cloak  about  him, 
sat  down  on  a  broken  mast,  which  some  storm  had 
driven  to  the  highest  part  of  the  island. 

The  minutes  passed  on,  and  neither  the  Irishman 
nor  the  expected  flock  of  birds  came.  Minutes 
grew  into  hours,  and  only  the  sobbing  waves  and 
melancholy  cries  of  birds  broke  the  silence.  Surely 
something  had  happened  to  his  companion.  About 
midnight  a  dense  fog  settled  over  the  island,  and 


200  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

the  alarm  and  discomfiture  of  the  Englishman  be- 
came supreme.  At  one  moment  he  was  cursing 
Terrence,  and  the  next  offering  prayer  for  his  soul. 
Never  did  man  pass  a  more  dreary  night. 

At  last  dawn  came,  and  he  could  see,  far  across 
the  water,  his  ship  but  a  speck  in  the  distance.  It 
was  to  sail  that  forenoon,  and  he  intended  to  call 
on  Morgianna  and  propose ;  but  here  he  was  on  this 
infernal  island,  hungry,  damp  and  miserable.  He 
knew  the  vessel  would  pass  near  enough  for  him 
to  hail  it  and  have  a  boat  sent  for  him ;  but  then 
he  would  miss  his  intended  visit  to  Captain  Lane's, 
and  his  future  happiness  depended  on  that  visit. 

While  he  was  indulging  in  these  bitter  reflec- 
tions, a  schooner  suddenly  flew  past  the  island,  and, 
to  his  amazement,  he  saw  the  Irish  student,  Ter- 
reuce  Malone,  whom  he  had  been  alternately  pray- 
ing for  and  cursing  all  night,  standing  on  the  deck 
apparently  in  the  best  of  health  and  spirits.  The 
scoundrel  even  had  the  audacity  to  wave  him  an 
adieu  as  he  passed. 


CHAPTER    X. 

THE   SILENT   GI'XXER. 

OF  course,  Terrence  Malone  had  played  a  practi- 
cal joke  on  the  English  lieutenant,  and  while  the 
latter  was  passing  the  night  on  the  gloomiest  island 
of  all  the  Maryland  coast,  the  former  was  sweetly 
dreaming  of  dear  old  Ireland,  in  the  most  comfort- 
able bed  the  tavern  afforded.  Next  morning  the 
captain  of  the  Xenophon  sent  ashore  for  Lieutenant 
Matson  to  come  aboard,  as  they  were  about  to  hoist 
anchor.  Terrence,  Fernando  and  Sukey  were  just 
going  aboard  the  schooner  as  the  messenger  came. 
Fernando  had  passed  the  most  miserable  night  of 
his  existence,  and  now,  pale  and  melancholy,  went 
aboard  the  schooner  utterly  unconscious  of  the  fact 
that  some  one  was  watching  him  through  a  glass 
from  the  big  house  on  the  hill. 

Terrence  was  as  jolly  as  usual  and  had  almost 
forgotten  the  lieutenant.  Just  as  the  schooner  was 
about  to  sail,  ensign  Post  came  aboard  and  asked 
for  Mr.  Malone.  Terrence  was  sitting  aft  the  main 
cabin  smoking  a  cigar,  when  the  ensign,  approach- 
ing, asked: 

201 


202  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"Where  is  Lieutenant  Matson  ?  I  was  told  he 
went  shooting  with  you  last  evening. " 

"  Sure  he  did.  You  will  find  him  on  Duck 
Island  enjoying  the  sport  I've  no  doubt.  Faith, 
I  had  almost  forgotten  to  tell  ye  to  touch  at  the 
island  and  take  him  off,  as  ye  sailed  out  of  the 
harbor. " 

The  ensign  looked  puzzled  at  this  and  said : 

"  This  is  strange, — this  is  certainly  very  extraor- 
dinary! Would  he  stay  on  the  island  all  night?" 

Terrence  assured  him  that  the  lieutenant  was  a 
great  sport  and  that  the  best  shooting  was  just 
before  day.  The  Englishman  returned  to  his  boat 
and  was  rowed  to  the  man-of-war  to  report,  while 
the  schooner  weighed  anchor  and  sailed  out  of  the 
harbor.  The  Xenophon  followed  two  hours  later, 
having  first  sent  a  boat  to  Duck  Island  for  the 
lieutenant,  who  swore  to  shoot  the  Irishman  at 
sight.  There  was  no  time  for  him  to  call  on  Mor- 
gianna  and  explain  why  he  had  not  brought  her 
the  ducks,  for  soon  after  his  arrival  the  ship  de- 
parted for  Halifax,  where  the  commander  had  to 
give  an  account  of  his  conduct  at  Baltimore. 

Meanwhile,  the  schooner  on  which  the  three 
students  had  taken  passage  stood  out  to  sea  and 
started  down  the  coast. 

A  strong  breeze  blowing  from  off  land  swept  her 
out  of  sight  of  the  coast,  when  the  wind  suddenly 


THE  SILENT  GUNNER.  203 

shifted,  until  the  skipper  declared  they  had  it  right 
in  their  teeth,  and,  despite  all  the  skill  of  master 
and  crew,  the  vessel  continued  to  drift  farther  out 
to  sea,  while  Sukey  once  more  bewailed  his  fate  at 
risking  his  life  on  the  water. 

"Don't  count  me  in  this  game  again,"  he 
groaned.  "  If  I  live  to  get  on  shore,  I'll  never 
risk  myself  on  water  broader  than  the  Ohio. " 

With  such  headwinds,  the  schooner  could  not 
possibly  reach  Baltimore  that  night.  All  night 
long  she  struggled  first  on  one  tack  and  then  on 
the  other,  and  at  dawn  only  the  blue  mist,  seen 
like  a  fog  in  the  West,  marked  the  line  of  the 
Maryland  coast. 

"Don't  be  discouraged,  lads,"  said  the  skipper 
cheerfully.  "  Come  down  to  breakfast,  and  afore 
night  I'll  have  ye  snug  in  port." 

They  went  to  breakfast,  and  when  they  returned 
found  the  master  and  three  seamen  in  the  forecastle 
holding  a  very  earnest  conversation.  The  fourth 
sailor  was  at  the  wheel.  Fernando,  glancing  off 
to  their  larboard  saw  a  large  ship,  flying  English 
colors,  bearing  down  upon  them,  and  he  had  no 
doubt  that  this  vessel  was  the  subject  of  discussion. 

She  signalled  to  the  schooner  to  heave  to,  and 
as  they  were  within  range  of  her  powerful  guns, 
the  skipper  was  forced  to  obey.  This  vessel  was 
the  English  frigate  Macedonian  cruising  along  the 


204    •  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

American  coast,  and  at  this  time  short  of  hands. 
In  a  few  moments,  the  frigate  came  near  and  hove 
to,  while  a  boat  with  a  dozen  marines  and  an  offi- 
cer came  alongside  the  schooner. 

"  What  is  your  business?"  asked  the  skipper. 
"  We  are  looking  for  deserters  and  Englishmen. " 
"Well,  here  are   my  crew,"  said    the   skipper 
pointing  to  his  sailors.      *'  Every  one  I  will  swear 
is  American  born!" 

"  But  who  are  these  young  men?" 
"  Three  passengers  I  am  taking  to  Baltimore. " 
The  three  students  began  to  entertain  some  grave 
apprehensions.     Terrence  for  once  was  quiet.     His 
dialect  he  knew  would  betray  him,  and  when  he 
was  asked  where  he  lived  and  where  he  was  from, 
he  tried  hard  to  conceal  his  brogue;  but  it  was  in 
vain. 

Sukey  came  forward  and  tried  to  explain  mat- 
ters, but  only  made  them  worse.  The  result  was 
that  all  three  were  in  a  short  hour  transported  to 
the  Macedonian  in  irons.  Protest  was  useless ;  the 
Macedonian  was  short  of  hands  and  they  were  forced 
to  go. 

They  were  not  even  permitted  to  write  letters 
home.  However,  the  skipper  had  their  names,  and 
the  whole  affair  was  printed  in  the  Baltimore  Sun, 
and  copies  were  sent  to  the  parents  of  the  young 
men. 


THE  SILENT  GUNNER.  205 

Captain  Snipes  of  the  English  frigate  was  one 
of  those  barbarous,  tyrannical  sea  captains,  more 
brute  than  human,  and.  in  an  age  when  the  strict 
discipline  of  the  navy  permitted  tyranny  to  exist, 
he  became  a  monster. 

The  three  recruits  were  added  to  his  muster-roll 
and  gradually  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  sailor's 
life  on  a  war  vessel. 

Poor  Sukey  for  several  days  was  fearfully  sea- 
sick; but  he  recovered  and  was  assigned  to  his 
mess.  Fortunately  they  were  all  three  assigned  to 
the  same  mess.  The  common  seamen  of  the  Mace- 
donian were  divided  into  thirty-seven  messes,  put 
down  on  the  purser's  book  as  Mess  No.  1,  Mess 
No.  2,  Mess  No.  3.  The  members  of  each  mess 
clubbed  their  rations  of  provisions,  and  break- 
fasted, dined  and  supped  together  at  allotted  in- 
tervals between  the  guns  on  the  main  deck. 

They  found  that  living  on  board  the  Macedonian 
was  like  living  in  a  market,  where  one  dresses  on 
the  door-step  and  sleeps  in  the  cellar.  They  could 
have  no  privacy,  hardly  a  moment  seclusion.  In 
fact,  it  was  almost  a  physical  impossibility  ever  to 
be  alone.  The  three  impressed  Americans  dined 
at  a  vast  table  d'hote,  slept  in  commons  and  made 
their  toilet  when  and  where  they  could.  Their 
clothes  were  stowed  in  a  large  canvas  bag,  painted 
black,  which  they  could  get  out  of  the  "  rack"  only 


206  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

once  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  then  during  a  time 
of  utmost  confusion,  among  three  hundred  and  fifty 
other  sailors,  each  diving  into  his  bag,  in  the  midst 
of  the  twilight  of  the  berth-deck. 

Terrence,  in  order  to  obviate  in  a  measure  this 
inconvenience,  suggested  that  they  divide  their 
wardrobes  between  their  hammocks  and  their  bags, 
stowing  their  few  frocks  and  trowsers  in  the  for- 
mer, so  that  they  could  change  at  night  when  the 
hammocks  were  piped  down.  They  knew  not 
whither  they  were  bound,  and  they  cared  little 
about  the  object  of  the  voyage. 

u  How  are  we  to  get  out  of  this  any  way?" 
asked  Sukey  one  day,  when  the  three  were  to- 
gether for  a  moment. 

"  Lave  it  all  to  me!"  said  Terrence. 

"  I  am  perfectly  willing  to  leave  it  all  to  you, 
Terrence.  Do  just  as  you  will,  so  you  get  me  on 
shore. " 

Before  they  had  been  a  month  on  the  ship,  they 
chased  a  French  merchantman  for  twenty-four 
hours,  and  at  times  were  near  enough  to  fire  a  few 
shots  with  their  long  bow -chaser;  but  a  fresh 
breeze  sprang  up,  quickly  increased  to  a  gale,  and 
the  Frenchman  escaped. 

This  was  the  nearest  approach  to  a  naval  engage- 
ment they  experienced  during  their  stay  on  the 
war  frigate.  They  cruised  along  the  coast  of  Ire- 


THE  SILENT  GUNNER.  207 

land  and  Scotland,  went  to  Spain,  entered  the 
waters  of  the  Mediterranean  for  a  few  weeks,  and 
then  returned  to  the  Atlantic,  sailing  for  the  West 
Indies. 

Not  only  were  the  officers  of  the  Macedonian 
brutal ;  but  the  crew  was  made  up  of  a  motley 
class  of  human  beings  of  every  class  of  viciousness 
and  brutality. 

"  Now  boys,  if  ye  want  to  kape  out  of  trouble, " 
said  Terrence,  "do'nt  ye  get  into  any  fights  with 
thim  divils,  or  ye'll  be  brought  up  to  the  quarter- 
deck and  flogged." 

His  advice  was  appreciated,  and  both  Fernando 
and  Sukey  did  their  best  to  avoid  trouble  with  any 
of  their  quarrelsome  neighbors.  They  submit- 
ted to  insults  innumerable ;  but  at  last  Sukey  was 
one  morning  assailed  by  a  brutal  sailor  whom  he 
knocked  down.  Two  other  sailors  were  guilty  of  a 
similar  offence,  and  all  four  were  put  under  arrest. 
Fernando  was  shocked  and  alarmed  for  his  friend, 
and  hastened  to  ascertain  the  facts  concerning  the 
charge. 

"  I  couldn't  help  it,"  declared  Sukey,  whom  he 
found  in  irons.  "  Plague  take  him !  he  hit  me 
twice  before  I  knocked  him  down.  I  didn't  want 
to  be  in  the  game." 

The  culprits  could  expect  nothing  but  a  flogging 
at  the  captain's  pleasure.  Toward  evening  of  the 


208  .      SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

next  day,  they  were  startled  by  the  dread  summons 
of  the  boatswain   and  his  mates  at  the  principal 
hatchway, — a  summons  that  sent  a  shudder  through 
every  manly  heart  in  the  frigate: 
.    "  All  hands  witness  punishment,  ahoy  !  " 

The  hoarseness  of  the  cry,  its  unrelenting  pro- 
longation, it  being  caught  up  at  different  points 
and  sent  to  the  lowest  depths  of  the  ship,  produced 
a  most  dismal  effect  upon  every  heart  not  calloused 
by  long  familiarity  with  it.  However  much  Fer- 
nando desired  to  absent  himself  from  the  scene  that 
ensued,  behold  it  he  must;  or,  at  least,  stand  near 
it  he  must ;  for  the  regulations  compelled  the  at- 
tendance of  the  entire  ship's  company,  from  the 
captain  himself  to  the  smallest  boy  who  struck  the 
bell. 

At  the  summons,  the  crew  crowded  round  the 
mainmast.  Many,  eager  to  obtain  a  good  place,  got 
on  the  booms  to  overlook  the  scene.  Some  were 
laughing  and  chatting,  others  canvassing  the  case 
of  the  culprits.  Some  maintaining  sad,  anxious 
countenance,  or  carrying  a  suppressed  indignation 
in  their  eyes.  A  few  purposely  kept  behind,  to 
avoid  looking  on.  In  short,  among  three  or  four 
hundred  men,  there  was  every  possible  shade  of 
character.  All  the  officers,  midshipmen  included, 
stood  together  in  a  group  on  the  starboard  side  of 
the  mainmast.  The  first  lieutenant  was  a  little  in 


THE  SILENT  GUNNER.  209 

advance,  and  the  surgeon,  whose  special  duty  it 
was  to  be  present  at  such  times,  stood  close  at  his 
side.  Presently  the  captain  came  forward  from 
his  cabin  and  took  his  place  in  the  centre  of  the 
group,  with  a  small  paper  in  his  hand.  That  paper 
was  the  daily  report  of  offenses,  regularly  laid  upon 
his  table  every  morning  or  evening. 

"  Master-at-arms,  bring  up  the  prisoners, "  he 
said.  A  few  moments  elapsed,  during  which  the 
captain,  now  clothed  in  his  most  dreadful  attri- 
butes, fixed  his  eyes  severely  upon  the  crew,  when 
suddenly  a  lane  formed  through  the  crowd  of  sea- 
men, and  the  prisoners  advanced — the  master-at- 
arms,  rattan  in  hand,  on  one  side,  and  an  armed 
marine  on  the  other, — and  took  up  their  stations 
at  the  mast. 

"  You,  John,  you,  Richard,  (Richard  was  Sukey) 
you  Mark,  you  Antone, "  said  the  captain,  "were 
yesterday  found  fighting  on  the  gun-deck.  Have 
you  any  thing  to  say?" 

Mark  and  Antone,  two  steady,  middle-aged  men, 
who  had  been  admired  for  their  sobriety,  replied 
that  they  did  not  strike  the  first  blow ;  they  had 
submitted  to  much  before  they  yielded  to  their 
passions ;  but  as  they  acknowledged  that  they  had 
at  last  defended  themselves  their  excuse  was  over- 
ruled. John — a  brutal  bully,  who  in  fact  was  the 
real  author  of  the  disturbance  was  about  entering 
14 


210  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

into  a  long  harangue,  when  the  captain  cut  him 
short,  and  made  him  confess,  irrespective  of  cir- 
cumstances, that  he  had  been  in  the  fray.  Poor 
Sukey,  the  youngest  and  handsomest  of  the  four, 
was  pale  and  tremulous.  He  had  already  won  the 
good  will  and  esteem  of  many  in  the  ship.  That 
morning  Fernando  and  Terrence  had  gone  to  his 
bag,  taken  out  his  best  clothes  and,  obtaining  the 
permission  of  the  marine  sentry  at  the  "  brig, "  had 
handed  them  to  him,  to  be  put  on  before  he  was 
summoned  to  the  mast.  This  was  done  to  propi- 
tiate Captain  Snipes,  who  liked  to  see  a  tidy  sailor; 
but  it  was  all  in  vain.  To  all  the  young  Ameri- 
can's supplications,  Captain  Snipes  turned  a  deaf 
ear.  Sukey  declared  he  had  been  struck  twice 
before  he  had  returned  a  blow. 

"No  matter,"  cried  the  captain,  angrily,  "you 
struck  at  last,  instead  of  reporting  the  case  to  an 
officer.  I  allow  no  man  to  fight  on  this  ship  but 
myself.  I  do  the  fighting.  Now,  men, "  he  added 
fixing  his  dark  stern  eye  on  them,  "  you  all  admit 
the  charge;  you  know  the  penalty.  Strip!  Quar- 
termaster, are  the  gratings  rigged?" 

The  gratings  were  square  frames  of  barred  wood- 
work, sometimes  placed  over  the  hatches.  One  of 
these  squares  was  now  laid  on  the  deck,  close  to 
the  ship's  bulwarks,  and  while  the  remaining  prep- 
arations were  being  made,  the  master-at-arms  as- 


THE  SILENT  GUNNER.  211 

sisted  the  prisoners  to  remove  their  jackets  and 
shirts.  This  done,  their  shirts  were  loosely  thrown 
over  their  shoulders  as  a  partial  protection  from 
the  keen  breeze,  until  their  turn  should  come. 

At  a  sign  from  the  captain,  John,  with  a  shame- 
less leer,  stepped  forward  and  stood  passively  on 
the  grating,  while  the  bareheaded  old  quarter- 
master, with  his  gray  hair  streaming  in  the  wind, 
bound  his  feet  to  the  cross-bars  and,  stretching 
out  his  arms  over  his  head,  secured  them  to  the 
hammock  netting  above.  He  then  retreated  a  little 
space,  standing  silent.  Meanwhile,  the  boatswain 
stood  solemnly  on  the  other  side  with  a  green  bag 
in  his  hand.  From  this  he  took  four  instruments 
of  punishment  and  gave  one  to  each  of  his  mates; 
for  a  fresh  "  cat, "  applied  by  a  fresh  hand,  was  the 
ceremonious  privilege  accorded  to  every  man-of- 
war  culprit.  Through  all  that  terrible  scene,  Fer- 
nando Stevens  stood  transfixed  with  horror,  indig- 
nation and  a  thousand  bitter,  indescribable  feelings. 
At  another  sign  from  the  captain,  the  master-at- 
arrns,  stepping  up,  removed  the  shirt  from  the 
prisoner.  At  this  juncture,  a  wave  broke  against 
the  ship's  side  and  dashed  the  spray  over  the  man's 
exposed  back;  but,  though  the  air  was  piercing 
cold,  and  the  water  drenched  him,  John  stood  still 
without  a  shudder. 

Captain   Snipes  lifted  his  finger,  and   the  first 


212  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

boatswain's- mate  advanced,  combing  out  the  nine 
tails  of  his  "  cat"  with  his  fingers,  and  then,  sweep- 
ing them  round  his  neck,  brought  them  with  the 
whole  force  of  his  body  upon  the  mark.  Again. 
and  again,  and  again;  at  every  blow,  higher  and 
higher  and  higher  rose  the  long  purple  bars  on  the 
prisoner's  back;  but  he  only  bowed  his  head  and 
stood  still.  A  whispered  murmur  of  applause  at 
their  shipmate's  nerve  went  round  among  the  sail- 
ors. One  dozen  blows  were  administered  on  his 
bare  back,  and  then  he  was  taken  down  and  went 
among  his  messmates,  swearing: 

"  It's  nothing,  after  you  get  used  to  it. " 
Antone,  who  was  a  Portuguese,  was  next,  and 
he  howled  and  swore  at  every  blow,  though  he  had 
never  been  known  to  blaspheme  before.  Mark, 
the  third,  was  in  the  first  stage  of  consumption  and 
coughed  and  cringed  during  the  flogging.  At 
about  the  sixth  blow  he  bowed  his  head  and  cried: 
"Oh!  Jesus  Christ !"  but  whether  it  was  in  blas- 
phemy or  supplication  no  one  could  determine. 
He  was  taken  with  a  fever  a  few  days  later  and 
died  before  the  cruise  was  over,  as  much  perhaps 
of  mortification  as  from  the  inroads  of  the  disease. 
The  fourth  was  poor  Sukey.  When  told  to 
advance,  he  made  one  more  appeal  to  the  captain, 
avowing  that  he  was  an  American.  The  captain, 
with  an  oath,  said  that  was  the  more  reason  for 


THE  SILENT  GUNNER.  213 

flogging  him.  He  appealed  until  the  marine  guard 
was  ordered  to  prod  him  with  his  bayonet.  They 
had  to  actually  drag  Sukey  to  the  gratings.  Su- 
key's  cheek,  which  was  usually  pale,  was  now 
whiter  than  a  ghost.  As  he  was  being  secured  to 
the  gratings,  and  the  shudderings  and  creepings  of 
his  dazzling  white  back  were  revealed,  he  turned 
his  tear-stained  face  to  the  captain  and  implored 
him  to  spare  him  the  disgrace,  which  he  felt  far 
more  keenly  than  the  pain. 

"  I  would  not  forgive  God  Almighty ! "  cried  the 
brutal  captain.  The  fourth  boatswain's  mate,  with 
a  fresh  cat-o-nine-tails  swung  it  about  his  head  and 
brought  the  terrible  scourge  hissing  and  crackling 
on  the  young  and  tender  back.  Fernando  turned 
his  face  away  and  wept. 

"  My  God/  oh!  my  God!"  shouted  Sukey,  and  he 
writhed  and  leaped,  until  he  displaced  the  gratings, 
scattering  the  nine-tails  of  the  scourge  all  over  his 
person.  At  the  next  blow,  he  howled,  leaped  and 
raged  in  unendurable  agony. 

"What  the  d — 1  are  you  stopping  for?"  cried 
the  captain  as  the  boatswain's-mate  halted.  "  Lay 
on!"  and  the  whole  dozen  were  applied,  though 
poor  Sukey  fainted  at  the  tenth  stroke. 

Eeader,  this  was  on  an  English  war  vessel, — the 
vessel  of  a  nation  professing  a  high  state  of  civili- 
zation. We  blush  to  say  it,  it  was  no  better  on 


214  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

an  American  man-of-war,  if  nautical  writers  of 
high  authority  are  to  be  believed,  and,  even  to- 
day, the  brute  often  holds  a  commission  in  the 
American  army  and  navy.  Although  flogging  is 
of  the  past,  punishment  equally  severe  is  inflicted. 
The  necessities  of  discipline  are  taken  advantage 
of  by  men  without  hearts.  An  American  naval 
officer  in  Washington  City  told  the  author  that  it 
was  a  common  thing  for  officers  on  an  American 
man-of-war  to  swing  the  hammock  of  the  sailor  or 
middy  whom  they  disliked,  where  he  would  have 
all  the  damp  and  cold,  ending  in  consumption  and 
death.  If  this  be  true,  it  is  far  more  brutal4  than 
flogging.  Congressional  investigations  are  usually 
farces.  Congressmen  place  their  friends  in  the 
army  and  navy,  and  their  investigations  usually 
result  in  the  triumph  of  their  friends. 

For  several  days,  Sukey  was  too  ill  to  leave  his 
hammock.  "I  don't  want  to  get  well,"  the  poor 
boy  said.  "  I  want  to  die.  I  never  want  to  see 
home  or  mother  again  after  that. " 

"  Faith,  me  lad,  live  but  to  kill  the  d — d  cap- 
tain," suggested  Terrence. 

"  I  would  live  a  thousand  years  to  do  that. " 

There  was  a  negro  named  Job  on  the  vessel,  who 
was  a  cook.  He  early  formed  a  liking  for  the 
three.  He  stole  the  choicest  dainties  from  the 
officers'  table  for  the  sick  youth. 


THE  BOATSWAIN'*  MATE  BKOIMJHT  TUB  TERRIRI.R  soori«;K,  HISSING  AND 

CKACKLINU,    ON     I  III      YOi;.N«»    ANI>   TKNDKIi    HACK. 


THE  SILENT  GUNNER.  215 

"  I  ain't  no  Britisher,"  he  declared.  "  Dar  ain't 
no  Angler  Saxon  blood  in  dese  veins,  honey,  an' 
I  thank  de  good  Lawd  for  dat.  I  know  what  it 
am  to  be  flogged.  Golly,  dey  flog  dis  chile  twice 
already.  Nex'  time,  I  spect  dat  sumfin'  am  a-gwine 
to  happen. " 

"  When  and  where  were  you  impressed?"  Fer- 
nando asked. 

"  I  war  wid  Cap'n  Parson  on  de  Dover,  den  de 
Sea  Wing  carne,  an'  de  leftenant  swear  dis  chile 
am  a  Britisher,  and  he  tuk  me  away.  Den  me  an' 
Massa  St.  Mark,  de  gunner,  were  transferred  to 
de  Macedonian. " 

Sukey  was  sullen  and  melancholy.  A  few  days 
after  he  was  on  duty,  he  breathed  a  threat  against 
Captain  Snipes.  A  tall,  fine-looking  sailor,  who 
was  known  as  the  chief  gunner,  said: 

"  Young  man,  keep  your  thoughts  to  yourself. 
For  heaven's  sake,  don't  let  the  officers  hear  them ! " 

They  were  now  in  the  vicinity  of  the  West  In- 
dies and  touched  at  Barbadoes.  While  lying  here, 
Fernando  witnessed  another  act  of  British  cruelty. 
Tom  Boseley,  an  American  who  had  been  impressed 
into  the  service  of  Great  Britain  deserted,  but  was 
pursued  and  brought  back.  He  was  flogged  and, 
on  being  released  struck  the  captain,  knocking  him 
down.  For  this  act,  he  was  tried  by  a  "  drum- 
head court  martial"  and  sentenced  to  die.  Tom 


216  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

had  a  wife  and  children  in  New  York,  but  was  not 
permitted  to  write  to  them.  Only  one  prayer  was 
granted,  and  that  was  that  he  might  be  shot  in- 
stead of  hung,  and  thrown  into  the  sea. 

Fernando,  almost  at  the  risk  of  his  own  life, 
visited  Boseley  the  night  before  his  execution.  He 
seemed  indifferent  to  his  fate,  declaring  it  prefer- 
able to  service  on  an  English  war  ship.  "  I  would 
rather  die  a  free  man,  than  live  a  slave, "  he  de- 
clared. Fernando  asked  if  he  would  not  rather 
live  for  his  family. 

"  Oh  !  Stevens,  say  nothing  about  my  family  to- 
night!" 

He  then  requested  him  to  take  possession  of 
some  letters  he  would  try  to  write  and,  if  possible, 
send  them.  Fernando  said  he  would  do  so,  and 
he  then  asked  him  to  remain  with  him  through  the 
night.  This  Fernando  declared  was  impossible. 
The  young  American  was  greatly  weighed  down 
by  the  terrible  mental  strain  the  whole  affair  had 
produced,  and  he  had  double  duty  to  screen  the 
unfortunate  Sukey. 

"Won't  you  be  with  me  when  it  is  done?" 
Boseley  asked.  Money  would  not  have  tempted 
him  to  witness  that  sight ;  but  he  could  not  refuse 
the  dying  request.  He  visited  him  early  next 
morning  and  found  him  dressed  in  the  best  clothes 
his  poor  wardrobe  could  afford,  a  white  shirt  and 


THE  SILENT  GUNNER.  217 

black  cravat.  He  was  a  fine-looking  man  in  fea- 
tures as  well  as  stature.  As  Fernando  gazed  on 
him  he  thought,  "  Dressed  for  eternity  /  " 

The  doomed  man  gave  him  three  letters,  which 
Fernando  secreted  about  his  person  and  subse- 
quently sent  to  their  destination.  Twelve  marines 
were  drawn  as  executioners.  Four  muskets  were 
loaded  with  balls  and  eight  with  blank  cartridges. 
Then  the  party  went  ashore.  Boseley  bore  up  well 
until  the  woods  were  reached,  where  he  found  an 
open  grave.  According  to  promise,  Fernando  went 
with  him.  Captain  Snipes  accompanied  the  ser- 
geant of  the  marines  to  see  that  the  prisoner  was 
properly  executed.  He  still  stung  under  the  blow 
he  had  received,  and  Boseley  was  slain  more  to 
gratify  the  vengeance  of  the  captain  than  for  any 
violated  law.  A  number  of  Boseley's  shipmates 
.were  permitted  to  come  and  witness  the  terrible 
scene. 

The  captain  said  to  Boseley: 

"  What  is  your  distance?" 

"  Twelve  steps. " 

"  Step  off  your  ground, "  added  the  captain. 

"  I  cannot  do  it;  you  do  it  for  me." 

"  I  will  do  it  with  you. " 

The  prisoner's  hands  were  tied  behind  his  back, 
and  the  captain,  taking  his  arm,  walked  him  off 
twelve  steps,  as  coolly  as  if  they  were  only  pacing 


218  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

the  quarter-deck.  The  captain  then  took  a  blanket, 
spread  it  on  the  ground  and  told  Boseley  to  kneel 
on  it,  and  he  did  so,  facing  his  executioners.  The 
ship's  chaplain  came  and  offered  a  prayer,  after 
which  the  sergeant  asked  Boseley  if  he  wished  to 
have  his  eyes  bandaged. 

"  No;  I  am  not  afraid  to  face  my  executioners," 
he  answered.  It  was  an  intensely  solemn  occa- 
sion, and  among  all  those  hardy,  rough -mannered 
sailors,  there  was  not  one,  unless  it  was  Captain 
Snipes,  who  was  not  deeply  affected.  The  cap- 
tain's face  was  flushed,  and  his  breath  was  strong 
with  brandy,  and  he  seemed  but  little  moved. 

"  Go  ahead,  and  have  this  done  with,"  he  said 
to  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  affair. 

"  Are  you  quite  ready  now?"  asked  the  sergeant. 

"  Yes, "  was  the  answer  in  a  faltering  tone. 

"Make  ready!"  and  the  twelve  glittering  mus-. 
kets  were  leveled  at  this  sacrifice  to  the  wrath  of 
Captain  Snipes. 

"Take  aim!"  and  the  gunners  steadied  them- 
selves for  the  fatal  word,  to  send  a  fellow  being  to 
eternity. 

"  Fire!"  and  instantly  flashed  a  volley,  reverber- 
ating a  wild  and  unearthly  death  knell  among  the 
crags  that  looked  down  upon  that  awful  scene.  In 
the  clear  morning  air,  the  smoke  of  the  guns  curled 
up  lazily  and  hung  like  a  funeral  pall  over  the 


THE  SILENT  GUNNER.  219 

mangled,  bleeding  form.  Four  bullets  had  pierced 
his  body.  He  fell  on  his  face  and  lay  motionless 
for  a  few  seconds.  Then  he  began  to  slowly  raise 
his  head.  Fernando  came  near  and  stood  in  front 
of  him.  Ten  thousand  years  could  not  efface  that 
scene  from  his  mind.  He  continued  to  raise  his 
head  and  body  without  a  struggle.  He  looked  the 
captain  in  the  eye,  and  his  mouth  was  in  motion 
as  though  he  were  trying  to  speak, — to  utter  some 
dying  accusation.  Never  did  human  eye  behold  a 
scene  so  pitiful  as  this  dying  man  gazing  on  his 
destroyer,  gasping  to  implore  or  to  denounce  him. 
In  an  instant  a  dimness  came  over  his  eyes,  and  he 
fell  dead. 

"  Oh,  Heaven!"  groaned  Fernando,  and  he  hur- 
ried away  to  the  ship.  For  weeks,  he  saw  that 
awful  face  every  time  he  closed  his  eyes  to  sleep. 

Two  years  on  board  the  British  frigate  had  made 
Fernando,  Sukey  and  Terrence  tolerably  fair  sail- 
ors. Their  hearts  were  n'ever  in  the  work,  and 
they  often  dreamed  of  escape  from  this  life  of  slav- 
ery. Fernando,  by  judicious  attention  to  business, 
had  never  yet  won  the  positive  displeasure  of  the 
officers.  One  day  the  boatswain's  mates  repeated 
the  commands  at  the  hatchways: 

"  All  hands  tack  ship,  ahoy !" 

It  was  just  eight  bells,  noon,  and,  springing  from 
his  jacket,  which  he  had  spread  between  the  guns 


220  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

for  a  bed  on  the  main  deck,  Fernando  ran  up  the 
ladders,  and,  as  usual,  seized  hold  of  the  main- 
brace  which  fifty  hands  were  streaming  along  for- 
ward. When  "  maintopsail  haul!"  was  given 
through  the  trumpet,  he  pulled  at  this  brace  with 
such  heartiness  and  good  will,  that  he  flattered 
himself  he  would  gain  the  approval  of  the  grim 
captain  himself ;  but  something  happened  to  be  in 
the  way  aloft,  when  the  yards  swung  round,  and  a 
little  confusion  ensued.  With  anger  on  his  brow, 
Captain  Snipes  came  forward  to  see  what  occa- 
sioned it.  No  one  to  let  go  the  weather-lift  of  the 
mainyard.  The  rope  was  cast  off,  however,  by  a 
hand,  and,  the  yards,  unobstructed,  came  round. 
When  the  last  rope  was  coiled  away,  the  captain 
asked  the  first  lieutenant  who  it  might  be  that  was 
stationed  at  the  weather  (then  the  starboard)  main- 
lift.  With  a  vexed  expression  of  countenance, 
the  first  lieutenant  sent  a  midshipman  for  the  sta- 
tion bill,  when,  upon  glancing  it  over,  the  name 
of  Fernando  Stevens  was  found  set  down  at  the 
post  in  question.  At  the  time,  Fernando  was  on 
the  gundeck  below,  and  did  not  know  of  these 
proceedings;  but  a  moment  after,  he  heard  the 
boatswain 's-mates  bawling  his  name  at  all  the 
hatchways  and  along  all  three  decks.  It  was  the 
first  time  he  had  ever  heard  it  sent  through  the  fur- 
thest recesses  of  the  ship,  and,  well  knowing  what 


THE  SILENT  GUNNER.  221 

this  generally  betokened  to  other  seamen,  his  heart 
jumped  to  his  throat,  and  he  hurriedly  asked 
Brown,  the  boatswain 's-mate  at  the  fore-hatchway, 
what  was  wanted  of  him. 

"  Captain  wants  ye  at  the  mast, "  he  answered. 
"  Going  to  flog  ye,  I  fancy. " 

"What  for?" 

"My  eyes!  you've  been  chalking  your  face, 
hain't  ye?" 

"  What  am  I  wanted  for?"  he  repeated. 

But  at  that  instant,  his  name  was  thundered  forth 
by  the  other  boatswain's-mates,  and  Brown  hurried 
him  away,  hinting  that  he  would  soon  find  out 
what  the  captain  wanted.  Fernando  swallowed 
down  his  heart  as  he  touched  the  spardeck,  for  a 
single  instant  balanced  himself  on  his  best  centre, 
and  then,  wholly  ignorant  of  what  was  going  to  be 
alleged  against  him,  advanced  to  the  dread  tribunal 
of  the  frigate.  The  sight  of  the  quarter-master 
rigging  his  gratings,  the  boatswain  with  his  detest- 
able green  bag  of  scourges,  the  master- at -arms 
standing  ready  to  assist  some  one  to  take  off  his  shirt 
was  not  calculated  to  allay  his  apprehensions. 
Witli  another  desperate  effort  to  swallow  his  whole 
soul,  he  found  himself  face  to  face  with  Captain 
Snipes,  whose  flushed  face  showed  his  ill  humor. 
At  his  side  was  the  first  lieutenant,  who,  as  Fer- 
nando came  aft,  eyed  him  with  some  degree  of  con- 


222  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

scientious  vexation  at  being  compelled  to  make 
him  the  scapegoat  of  his  own  negligence. 

"  Why  were  you  not  at  your  station,  sir?"  asked 
the  captain. 

"What  station  do  you  mean,  sir?"  Fernando 
asked,  forgetting  the  accustomed  formality  of 
touching  his  hat,  by  way  of  salute,  while  speaking 
with  so  punctilious  an  officer  as  Captain  Snipes. 
This  little  fact  did  not  escape  the  captain's  atten- 
tion. 

"  Your  pretension  to  ignorance  will  not  help 
you  sir, "  the  Captain  retorted. 

The  first  lieutenant  now  produced  the  station 
bill,  and  read  the  name  of  Fernando  Stevens  in 
connection  with  the  starboard  main-lift. 

"  Captain  Snipes, "  said  Fernando  in  a  voice  firm 
and  terrible  in  its  sincerity,  "  it  is  the  first  time  I 
knew  I  was  assigned  to  that  post. " 

"How  is  this,  Mr.  Bacon?"  the  captain  asked 
turning  to  the  first  lieutenant  with  a  fault-finding 
expression. 

"  It  is  impossible,  sir,  that  this  man  should  not 
know  his  station,"  replied  the  lieutenant. 

"  Captain  Snipes,  I  will  swear,  I  never  knew  it 
before  this  moment, "  answered  Fernando. 

With  an  oath,  the  captain  cried: 

"  Do  you  contradict  my  officer?  I'll  flog  you, 
by—!" 


THE  SILENT  GUNNER.  223 

Fernando  had  been  on  board  the  frigate  for  more 
than  two  years  and  remained  unscourged.  Though 
a  slave  in  fact,  he  lived  in  hope  of  soon  being  a  free 
man.  Now,  after  making  himself  a  hermit  in  some 
things,  after  enduring  countless  torments  and  insults 
without  resentment,  in  order  to  avoid  the  possi- 
bility of  the  scourge,  here  it  was  hanging  over  him 
for  a  thing  utterly  unforeseen, — a  crime  of  which 
he  was  wholly  innocent ;  but  all  that  was  naught. 
He  saw  that  his  case  was  hopeless ;  his  solemn  dis- 
claimer was  thrown  in  his  teeth,  and  the  boat- 
swain's-mate  stood  curling  his  fingers  through  the 
"  cat. "  There  are  times  when  wild  thoughts  enter 
a  man's  heart,  when  he  seems  almost  irresponsible 
for  his  act  and  his  deed.  The  captain  stood  on  the 
weather  side  of  the  deck.  Sideways  on  an  unoc- 
cupied line  with  him,  was  the  opening  of  the  lee- 
gangway,  where  the  side-ladders  were  suspended 
in  port.  Nothing  but  a  slight  bit  of  sinuate-stuff 
served  to  rail  in  this  opening,  which  was  cut  down 
to  a  level  with  the  captain's  feet,  showing  the  far 
sea  beyond.  Fernando  stood  a  little  to  windward 
of  him,  and,  though  Captain  Snipes  was  a  large, 
powerful  man,  it  was  quite  certain  that  a  sudden 
rush  against  him,  along  the  slanting  deck,  would 
infallibly  pitch  him  headforemost  into  the  ocean, 
though  he  who  rushed  must  needs  go  over  with 
him.  The  young  American's  blood  seemed  clot- 


224  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

ting  in  his  veins ;  lie  felt  icy  cold  at  the  tips  of 
his  fingers,  and  a  dimness  was  before  his  eyes; 
but  through  that  dimness,  the  boatswain's-mate, 
scourge  in  hand,  loomed  like  a  giant,  and  Captain 
Snipes  and  the  blue  sea,  seen  through  the  opening 
at  the  gangway,  showed  with  an  awful  vividness. 
He  was  never  able  to  analyze  his  heart,  though  it 
then  stood  still  within  him;  but  the  thing  that 
swayed  him  to  his  purpose  was  not  altogether  the 
thought  that  Captain  Snipes  was  about  to  degrade 
him,  and  that  he  had  taken  an  oath  within  his  soul 
that  he  should  not.  No ;  he  felt  his  manhood  so 
bottomless  within  him,  that  no  word,  no  blow,  no 
scourge  of  Captain  Snipe's  could  cut  deep  enough 
for  that.  He  but  clung  to  an  instinct  in  him, — 
the  instinct  diffused  through  all  animated  nature, 
the  same  that  prompts  the  worm  to  turn  under  the 
heel.  Locking  souls  with  him,  he  meant  to  drag 
Captain  Snipes  from  this  earthly  tribunal  of  his, 
to  that  of  Jehovah,  and  let  Him  decide  between 
them.  No  other  way  could  he  escape  the  scourge. 

"To  the  gratings,  sir!"  cried  Captain  Snipes. 
"Do  you  hear?" 

Fernando' s  eye  measured  the  distance  between 
him  and  the  sea,  and  he  was  gathering  himself  to- 
gether for  the  fatal  spring 

"  Captain  Snipes, ''  said  a  voice  advancing  from 
the  crowd.  Every  eye  turned  to  see  who  spoke. 


THE  SILENT  GUNNER.  225 

It  was  the  remarkably  handsome  and  gentlemanly 
gunner,  Hugh  St.  Mark,  who  was  scarcely  ever 
known  to  break  the  silence,  and  all  were  amazed 
that  he  should  do  so  now.  "  I  know  that  man, " 
said  St.  Mark,  touching  his  cap,  and  speaking  in 
a  mild,  firm,  but  extremely  deferential  manner, 
"  and  I  know  that  he  would  not  be  found  absent 
from  his  station,  if  he  knew  where  it  was. " 

This  speech  was  almost  unprecedented.  Never 
before  had  a  marine  dared  to  speak  to  the  captain 
of  a  frigate  in  behalf  of  a  seaman  at  the  mast ;  but 
there  was  something  unostentatiously  forcible  and 
commanding  in  St.  Mark's  manner.  He  had  once 
saved  the  captain's  life,  when  a  French  boarder 
was  about  to  slay  him.  Then  the  corporal,  em- 
boldened by  St.  Mark's  audacity,  put  in  a  good 
word.  Terrence,  who  had  been  promoted  to  a 
small  office,  poured  forth  a  torrent  of  eloquence, 
and,  almost  before  he  knew  it,  Fernando  was  free. 
As  he  was  going  to  his  quarters,  his  brain  in  a 
whirl,  he  heard  Job  the  cook  say: 

"He    ain't  no    Britisher!     Dar   ain't  no  more 
Angler  Saxon  blood  in  his  veins  dan  in  dis  chile!" 

An  hour  later,  when  he  stood  near  a  gun  car- 
riage, still  dizzy  from  his  narrow  escape  from  the 
double  crime  of  murder  and  suicide,  St.  Mark 
passed  Fernando.  He  grasped  the  hand  of  the 
silent  gunner,  held  it  a  moment  in  his  own  and 
whispered :  "  Thank  you ! " 
15 


CHAPTER   XI. 

SHIPWRECK ESCAPE    AND    RETURN    TO    OHIO. 

SHIP'S  rules,  stringent  as  they  were  on  the  war 
frigate,  and  officers  severe  as  were  those  of  the 
Macedonian  could  not  wholly  curb  the  rollicking 
spirit  of  Terrence.  His  exuberance  of  spirits  con- 
stantly got  the  better  of  any  good  intentions  he 
might  have  formed.  Any  wholesome  dread  he 
may  have  entertained  of  that  famous  feline  of  nine 
tails,  known  to  sailors  of  that  day,  was  overcome 
by  his  love  of  pranks. 

What  guardian  spirit  protects  the  bold  and  mis- 
chievous has  never  yet  been  discovered ;  but  it  is 
a  well  authenticated  fact  that  wild,  harum  scarum 
fellows  like  Terrence  Malone  seldom  come  to  grief 
or  disaster. 

He  was  always  the  innocent  lamb  of  the  ship, 
whom  no  one  would  suspect  of  mischief.  The 
chaplain  of  the  ship  was  not  more  grave  and  sanc- 
timonious than  he.  If  the  hammock  netting  were 
left  so  as  to  trip  up  the  dignified  captain  and  throw 
him  on  the  deck  in  a  very  undignified  manner,  no 
one  could  possibly  have  suspected  that  the  harm- 
less Terrence  had  any  thing  to  do  with  it. 
226 


SHIPWRECK.  227 

The  quarter-master  was  one  day  snoring  in  his 
hammock.  Terrence,  who  was  on  duty  scrubbing 
the  gun  deck,  had  a  large  tub  filled  with  water, 
which  was  unconsciously  left  just  under  the  head 
of  the  hammock  of  the  quarter-master.  No  one 
could  tell  how  it  happened ;  but  the  supports  were 
all  cut  save  two  or  three,  which  the  swaying  of  the 
hammock  gradually  loosened  until,  just  as  the 
officer  went  to  "  change  sides, "  down  he  came  with 
a  frightful  splash  head  first  into  the  tub. 

Terrence,  who  was  near,  ran  to  his  rescue  and 
quickly  pulled  him  out. 

"It's  bastely  carelessness  to  lave  the  water  there, " 
cried  Terrence.  "  Faith,  I  hope  the  captain  will 
give  the  shpalpeen  two  dozen  as  did  it. " 

"Who  cut  my  hammock  down?"  roared  the 
quarter-master. 

"  Cut  yer  hammock,  indade?" 

The  quarter-master  was  in  a  rage  and  swore  like 
a  trooper.  Wiping  the  water  from  his  face,  he 
roared : 

"  Yes,  cut  down  my  hammock !  Don't  you  see 
the  netting  has  been  cut?" 

"  The  truth  ye  tell,  quarter-master;  some  hay- 
thin  has  surely  been  cutting  yer  netting.  Now 
who  could  have  done  that?  I  hope  the  culprit 
may  be  found,  that's  all." 

And  the  face  of  the  quarter-master  himself  did 


228  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

not  evince  more  savage  fury  than  the  Irishman. 
He  was  the  first  to  report  it  to  the  lieutenant,  and 
in  his  zeal  actually  burst  in  on  the  captain  himself 
and  told  of  the  disaster,  volunteering  his  services  to 
hunt  down  the  culprit. 

"Find  him!"  thundered  the  captain,  his  face 
white  with  rage.  "  Find  him,  and,  by  the  trident 
of  Neptune,  I  swear  I'll  see  his  backbone!" 

No  one  in  the  whole  ship  was  as  zealous  as  the 
Irishman  in  searching  for  the  culprit;  but  he  took 
care  never  to  find  him. 

Captains  of  men-of-war  are  fond  of  delicacies, 
and  the  captain  had  a  fine  fat  pig,  which  he  in- 
tended for  a  special  feast  to  be  given  for  his  officers. 
Terrence,  through  his  zeal,  became  such  a  favorite, 
that  he  was  even  permitted  to  superintend  the 
cooking. 

The  quarter-master's  favorite  dog,  which  was 
as  fat  as  the  pig,  suddenly  disappeared  the  day 
before  the  feast,  and  Terrence  had  a  search  insti- 
tuted for  him  without  avail,  and  gave  it  out  as  his 
opinion  that  the  dog  had  fallen  overboard.  On 
the  same  day  the  officers  feasted  on  roast  pig, 
Terrence's  mess  had  roast  pig.  The  officers  de- 
clared that  their  roast  pig  was  very  tender,  but  that 
the  flavor  was  strong  and  peculiar!  The  ship's 
surgeon  afterward  said  he  never  saw  the  bones  of 
a  pig  so  resemble  the  bones  of  a  dog.  There  had 


SHIPWRECK.  229 

been  but  one  pig  aboard,  and  had  it  been  known 
that  Terrence  dined  on  roast  pig  also,  there  might 
have  been  some  grave  suspicions. 

Shortly  after  this  event,  there  were  some  changes 
in  the  British  navy.  Captain  Snipes  was  sup- 
planted in  command  of  the  Macedonian  by  Captain 
Garden.  Fernando,  Terrence  and  the  negro  were 
shortly  after  transferred  to  the  war- sloop  Sea  /Shell, 
Captain  Bones,  while  poor  Sukey  was  still  left 
aboard  the  Macedonian.  Shortly  after  these  changes 
Captain  Snipes  and  Mr.  Hugh  St.  Mark,  the  silent 
gunner,  were  transferred  to  the  man-of-war  Xeno- 
phon.  Thus  we  see,  by  those  interminable  and 
inexplicable  changes  constantly  going  on  in  the 
royal  navy  the  friends  were  separated.  There  may 
be  some  reason  for  those  constant  changes  in  the 
navy;  but  they  are  not  apparent  to  the  sagest 
landsman  living. 

Captain  Conkerall  had  made  himself  so  ridicu- 
lous in  Baltimore,  that  he  had  been  forced  to  quit 
the  service  in  order  to  escape  the  ridicule  of  his 
fellow  officers.  This  left  Lieutenant  Matson  in 
command  of  the  Xenophon  until  Captain  Snipes  was 
assigned  to  that  duty. 

Fernando  Stevens  felt  some  regrets  in  leaving  the 
Macedonian.  One's  very  sufferings  may  endear 
them  to  a  place.  But  Fernando's  chief  regret  was 
in  leaving  the  friend  of  his  childhood.  Sukey 


230  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

and  he  shed  manly  tears  as  each  saw  the  face  of 
his  friend  fade  from  view. 

Terrence  soon  ingratiated  himself  into  the  favor 
of  Captain  Bones,  who  had  a  weakness  for  punch 
and  whist.  Terrence  knew  how  to  brew  the  punch 
to  the  taste  of  the  captain,  and  could  play  whist  so 
artistically,  that  the  captain  could,  by  the  hardest 
sort  of  playing,  just  win. 

Terrence  boasted  of  excellent  family  connection, 
and  gave  as  his  reason  for  his  not  having  a  mid- 
shipman's commission,  that  his  father  objected  to 
the  sea,  and  he  had  been  impressed  instead  of  en- 
tering the  navy  of  his  own  accord.  Bones  was  not 
as  punctilious  as  most  captains,  especially  when 
Terrence  could  brew  such  excellent  punch,  and 
Terrence  soon  became  a  favorite  and  came  and 
went  at  pleasure  in  the  captain's  cabin.  When 
the  captain  imbibed  quite  freely,  he  often  hinted 
at  a  promotion  for  Terrence. 

Fernando  paid  little  attention  to  the  course  of 
the  vessel.  He  had  been  in  nearly  all  the  parts  of 
the  world,  and  seldom  asked  which  continent  they 
were  on,  or  in  what  waters  they  sailed.  He  was 
sober,  silent  and  melancholy. 

One  bright  August  day  in  1811,  they  were  off 
some  coast,  he  knew  not  what.  All  day  the 
weather  had  been  glorious.  Toward  sunset,  the 
clouds  began  to  gather  in  heavy  masses  to  the  south- 


SHIPWRECK,  231 

east,  and  a  little  later  a  heavy  breeze  sprang  up 
from  that  direction.  As  darkness  carne  on,  the 
wind  increased,  blowing  a  strong  gale,  and  it  blew 
all  night.  As  morning  dawned  a  dense  fog  settled 
down  over  the  vessel  and  completely  obscured 
everything.  Soundings  were  taken ;  but  the  cap- 
tain, who  had  yielded  to  the  seductive  punch  of 
Terrence  Malone,  could  not  determine  where  they 
were.  When  daylight  came  the  sea  had  changed 
color,  which  proved  that  they  were  in  shallow 
water.  On  heaving  the  lead  it  was  ascertained  that 
they  were  only  in  twelve  fathoms  water. 

"  Wear  ship!"  shouted  Captain  Bones  in  a  tone 
of  thunder.  The  vessel  was  then  under  such  small 
sail  that  she  had  not  headway  enough  to  stay  her. 
As  she  answered  to  her  helm  and  payed  off,  bring- 
ing the  wind  aft,  high  land  was  seen  astern.  Sud- 
denly the  fog  lifted.  At  the  same  instant,  the  wind 
changed  to  the  southwest,  blowing  harder.  A  cloud 
of  canvas  flew  into  the  air,  and,  looking  up,  Fer- 
nando saw  it  was  the  jib.  The  vessel  lost  what  little 
headway  she  had  and  drifted  heavily  to  leeward. 
As  the  fog  cleared  toward  the  land,  they  looked 
early  in  that  direction  and  to  their  dismay  and 
horror,  they  saw  heavy  breakers  beating  so  close  to 
them,  that  there  was  no  room  to  wear  the  ship  round. 
The  captain  at  once  gave  orders  to  clear  away  the 
anchors.  A  seaman  went  forward  with  an  axe  to 


232  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

cut  the  lashings  of  the  one  on  the  port  side.  As 
soon  as  the  cable  had  been  cut,  the  starboard  an- 
chor was  sent  adrift  and  thirty  fathoms  of  cable 
ran  out.  The  order  was  given  to  "  hold  on, "  and 
as  it  was  obeyed  the  port  cable  broke.  The  sloop 
immediately  swung  around,  bringing  all  her  weight 
on  the  starboard  cable,  which,  being  unable  to  stand 
the  strain,  parted,  and  then  they  were  left  entirely 
to  the  mercy  of  the  wind  and  sea. 

The  suspense  was  short.  A  tremendous  sea  came 
rolling  toward  the  sloop,  struck  it  with  terrific 
force,  lifted  it  high  on  its  crest  and  carried  it  for- 
ward toward  the  breakers.  In  another  instant  the 
vessel  was  driven  with  a  crash  on  the  sandy  bot- 
tom. At  the  same  moment  down  came  the  fore- 
mast, taking  with  it  the  jib-boom  and  bowsprit, 
all  disappearing  into  the  sea.  Wave  after  wave 
washed  over  them  in  quick  succession.  The  main- 
mast was  split,  and  the  noise  made  by  it,  as  it  was 
beaten  about  by  the  gale  was  deafening.  All  the 
poor  wretches  on  board  the  Sea  Shell  could  do  was 
to  hold  on  for  dear  life. 

The  captain  ordered  their  only  life-boat  lowered, 
and,  turning  to  the  crew,  he  shouted,  for  the  roar- 
ing of  the  wind  was  terrible,  that  he  with  twelve 
men  would  set  out  for  shore,  and  after  landing 
eight  with  himself  and  officers,  would  send  the 
boat  back  for  others.  The  captain  had  no  notion 


SHIPWRECK.  283 

that  so  excellent  a  punch  brewer  as  Terrence  should 
be  lost,  and  insisted  that  he  go  with  the  first  boat- 
load. The  others  had  no  alternative.  They  were 
compelled  to  submit.  The  captain,  his  lieutenants, 
Terrence  and  a  dozen  sailors  sprang  over  the  side, 
took  their  places  and  pushed  off.  As  the  little 
craft  rose  and  fell  in  that  frightful  sea,  it  seemed 
doubtful  if  they  would  reach  the  shore. 

Dumb  with  terror,  Fernando  had  watched  the 
whole  proceeding.  He  could  only  hold  on  to  a 
sail  and,  by  the  sheer  strength  of  his  hands  and 
arms,  save  himself  from  being  carried  overboard, 
as  sea  after  sea  swept  over  them.  He  strained  his 
eyes  until  it  seemed  as  though  they  would  burst, 
to  follow  the  movements  of  that  boat  on  which 
their  lives  depended.  It  seemed  but  a  mere  speck 
on  the  waves.  Suddenly  it  rose  to  a  surprising 
height,  and  then  disappeared  altogether.  The  next 
moment  he  saw  the  men  struggling  in  the  water. 
The  boat  was  broken  into  pieces  and  the  fragments 
were  brought  out  to  them.  Every  man  for  him- 
self was  now  the  cry  throughout  the  ship.  How 
far  they  were  from  the  shore  no  one  could  tell. 
They  had  to  take  their  chances.  Although  a 
strong  swimmer,  Fernando  knew  that  in  such  a 
tremendous  sea  he  would  be  powerless.  There  was, 
however,  but  the  one  thing  to  do. 

Raising  his  hands  before  him  and  pressing  them 


284  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

firmly  together,  Fernando  drew  a  long  breath,  then 
sprang  from  the  sloop's  rail  into  the  water  beneath. 
When  he  rose  to  the  surface  he  tried  to  swim.  It 
was  impossible,  as  he  had  foreseen.  He  was  like 
a  child  in  the  grasp  of  a  monster.  The  waves 
tossed  him  up  like  a  plaything  and  carried  him  on 
— he  could  not  tell  how  far  or  where.  Suddenly 
a  great  black  object  loomed  up  before  him.  It 
was  a  part  of  the  wreckage.  He  tried  to  ward  it 
off ;  but  he  might  as  well  have  tried  to  ward  off  the 
sloop  itself,  for  the  sea  lifted  him  up  and  dashed 
him  onward,  and  the  great  mass  struck  him  a 
heavy  blow  over  the  eye  —  a  flash  of  lightning 
gleamed,  then  all  was  darkness  and  a  blank. 

How  long  after  he  could  not  tell,  a  strange  sensa- 
tion came  creeping  slowly  over  him.  A  low  mur- 
mur of  voices  reached  his  ears.  He  was  bewildered 
and  benumbed ;  but  soon  the  truth  began  to  dawn , 
and  he  knew  that,  wherever  he  might  be,  he  was 
not  dead.  Powerless  to  move,  he  opened  his  eyes 
and  fastened  them  on  the  objects  about  him.  He 
now  discovered  that  he  was  lying  on  a  bed  of  straw 
in  a  large  barn.  How  he  could  have  gotten  there 
was  yet  a  mystery.  To  his  great  delight,  he  recog- 
nized the  face  of  Terrence  Malone  bending  over 
him. 

"  Well,  me  boy,  ye 're  not  dead  yet,  are  ye?" 
"  Where  are  we,  Terrence?"  he  faintly  inquired. 


SHIPWRECK.  235 

"Whist,  me  lad,  an'  I'll  tell  ye!"  said  Terrence, 
in  an  undertone.  Terrence  first  looked  round  to 
assure  himself  that  there  was  no  one  within  hearing 
and  then  said,  "  Safe  on  mother  earth,  me  lad,  and, 
what's  best  of  all,  American  soil !"  American  soil ! 
— the  very  announcement  sent  a  thrill  of  hope  and 
joy  through  his  heart.  Terrence  then  informed 
him  that  they  had  been  wrecked  on  the  coast  of 
Maine,  that  most  of  the  crew  were  saved,  and  the 
captain  intended  to  march,  as  soon  as  the  men  were 
able,  over  the  line  into  Canada.  Terrence  assured 
Fernando  that,  so  far  as  he  was  concerned,  he  had 
no  intention  of  leaving  America;  but  the  matter 
had  to  be  handled  carefully.  They  were  on  a 
thinly  populated  coast  and  Captain  Bones  had 
enough  English  marines  to  enforce  his  authority. 

"  Then  how  can  we  escape?"  asked  Fernando. 

"Lave  it  all  to  me!"  said  the  Irishman.  As 
Fernando  was  incapable  of  doing  anything  himself, 
he  very  naturally  left  it  all  to  his  Irish  friend. 
"  Now  I  want  ye  to  be  too  sick  to  travel  for  a  week. 
By  that  time,  I'll  have  the  captain  all  right  and 
snug  enough." 

Though  badly  bruised  and  stunned,  Fernando 
had  no  bones  broken.  At  any  time  within  three 
days  after  the  shipwreck  he  could  have  left  the 
barn,  but,  following  the  advice  of  Terrence,  he  as- 
sumed a  stupid  state  and  refused  to  talk  with  any 


236  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

of  the  officers  who  called  to  see  him.  Terrence 
became  nurse  to  the  invalid  as  well  as  the  brewer 
of  punch  for  the  captain.  Only  one  other  person 
was  taken  into  the  secret  plans  of  the  Irishman, 
that  was  the  negro  Job. 

Job  was  delighted. 

"  Gwine  ter  run  away !"  he  chuckled,  "  yah,  yah, 
yah,  dat  am  glorious!  I  tell  yer,  dis  chile  ain't 
no  Britisher.  I  tole  yer  dar  ain't  no  Angler  Saxun 
blood  in  dese  veins." 

Job  was  installed  assistant  nurse  over  Fernando, 
and  when  the  captain  asked  the  negro  about  him, 
the  black  face  became  sober,  and  Job  shook  his 
woolly  head,  saying: 

"  Dun  no,  massa,  spect  he  am  gwine  ter  die. 
He  am  awful  bad. " 

Captain  Bones  gave  utterance  to  a  burst  of  pro- 
fanity and  seriously  hoped  the  wounded  sailor 
would  either  get  well  or  die,  and  be  very  quick 
about  it.  Fernando  heard  him  as  he  lay  in  the 
barn  loft  and  could  not  refrain  from  chuckling. 

"  We've  got  to  move  soon, "  growled  the  captain. 
"  No  ship  will  ever  put  into  this  port  for  us.  We 
must  march  to  Halifax. " 

"  Golly!  guess  dis  chile  see  himself  marchin'  ter 
Halifax,"  the  negro  murmured,  when  the  captain 
had  left  the  barn. 

Captain  Bones  was  quartered  at  the  best  fisher- 


SHIPWRECK.  237 

man's  cabin  in  the  neighborhood.  It  was  not 
much  of  a  shelter,  but  it  was  the  best  he  could 
find.  Captain  Bones  was  provoked  at  the  delay 
in  Fernando's  recovery.  He  knew  he  was  an  im- 
pressed American,  and  if  he  left  him,  he  would  be 
lost  to  the  service,  and  yet  he  dared  not  much 
longer  delay  going  to  Halifax. 

He  was  bargaining  with  a  coasting  schooner  to 
take  himself  and  crew  to  Halifax,  when  one  even- 
ing Terrence  came  to  him  with  a  very  serious 
face,  as  if  the  fortunes  of  Great  Britain  were  in 
peril. 

"Captain,  it's  bad  news  I  have  for  ye,"  said 
Terrence.  "  The  brandy  is  all  gone,  and  divil  a 
bit  o'  whiskey  can  be  had  for  love  or  money." 
This  was  alarming  to  Captain  Bones ;  but  Terrence 
suggested  that  three  miles  away  lived  a  farmer 
Condit,  whose  cellar  abounded  with  kegs  of  apple 
jack  and  cider.  Condit  was  a  rabid  republican 
and  would  not  give  a  Briton  a  drop  if  he  were  dy- 
ing for  it;  but,  if  the  captain  would  be  taken  into 
his  confidence,  he  had  a  little  scheme  to  propose 
which  had  a  trifle  of  risk  in  it,  just  enough  to  give 
spice  to  it. 

His  plan  was  nothing  more  than  to  dress  in 
citizen's  clothes,  enter  the  cellar  after  night  and 
carry  away  some,  if  not  all,  of  the  kegs  of  apple 
jack. 


238  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Captain  Bones,  who  enjoyed  a  frolic,  thought 
the  plan  an  excellent  one. 

But  he  begged  to  allow  the  first  lieutenant  to 
become  a  party  to  the  frolic.  This  was  just  as 
Terrence  wished,  for  he  had  intended  to  suggest 
the  first  lieutenant  himself.  It  was  agreed  that  on 
Saturday  night  next,  the  three,  dressed  in  citizen's 
clothes,  were  to  go  to  the  home  of  the  farmer,  enter 
his  cellar  and  secure  enough  apple  jack  and  hard 
cider  to  alleviate  the  thirst  of  Captain  Bones,  dur- 
ing his  stay  in  the  neighborhood. 

Farmer  Condit,  the  day  before  the  intended  burg- 
lary, received  a  very  mysterious  letter  in  a  very 
mysterious  manner.  It  read  as  follows: 

"Farmer  Condit:  Saturday  night  your  house  is  to  be 
robbed.  I  am  one  of  a  band  of  robbers  who  are  to  rob  you. 
I  was  forced  to  join  them  or  be  killed,  and  will  have  to  go 
with  them  that  night.  Have  a  few  constables  ready  to 
seize  them.  They  will  not  fight ;  but  let  the  man  in  tall, 
peaked,  brown  hat,  white  trousers  and  gray  coat  escape,  for 
that  is  me.  If  you  could  let  me  escape  and  seize  the  others, 
you  would  set  at  liberty  a  poor  fellow  creature,  who  warns 
you  at  the  risk  of  his  life. 

Your  friend." 

On  the  night  in  question,  Terrence  wore  a  tall, 
peaked  brown  hat,  with  black  band.  He  also  wore 
white  trousers  and  a  gray  coat.  The  three  set  off 
in  a  cart  which  Terrence  hired  to  bring  back  the 


II K    SAW  CAITAIN    ROVES    ANI>    Ills    I.IKfTEXANT    TUVIXIi  TO  IIII1K  HEIIINI)  A  BAKRKI-. 


SHIPWRECK.  239 

treasure.  It  was  dark  before  they  commenced  their 
journey,  for  the  officers  did  not  want  the  men  to 
know  of  the  affair. 

They  reached  the  farm  house  of  Mr.  Condit  and 
prepared  to  enter  it  and  begin  operations.  The 
cart  and  mule  were  left  under  some  trees.  It  was 
now  ten  o'clock,  and  the  house  was  quite  dark. 
Slowly  they  crept  up  to  it,  Terrence  asking  him- 
self if  the  farmer  had  heeded  his  warning.  Like 
many  farm-house  cellars,  there  was  a  trap  door 
opening  on  the  outside.  To  this  cellar  door  they 
made  their  way.  Terrence,  who  was  accustomed 
to  such  affairs,  had  provided  himself  with  a  lan- 
tern, which  he  was  to  light  when  they  entered  the 
cellar. 

They  descended  the  steps  and  had  scarcely 
reached  the  floor,  when  footsteps  were  heard  de- 
scending a  flight  of  steps  from  the  inside  of  the 
house. 

"  Hide  behind  the  barrels  and  boxes,  ivery 
mother's  son  of  ye!"  whispered  the  Irishman. 
The  officers  were  concealing  themselves,  when  sud- 
denly the  door  opened  and  a  portly  elderly  gentle- 
man in  his  shirt  sleeves,  knee  breeches  and  slip- 
pers, carrying  a  lighted  candle  in  one  hand  and  a 
pistol  in  the  other  descended.  He  saw  Captain 
Bones  and  his  lieutenant  trying  to  hide  behind  a 
barrel.  The  captain,  in  his  excitement,  had  drawn 


240  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

a  pistol  and  was  cocking  it.  Terrence  at  this  mo- 
ment escaped. 

With  a  yell,  the  old  gentleman  dropped  the 
candle,  which  lay  on  the  floor,  the  thin  blaze  as- 
cending upward  and  dimly  lighting  the  scene.  At 
his  yell,  there  suddenly  rushed  into  the  cellar  half 
a  dozen  stout  men,  armed  with  guns  and  pistols, 
and  the  supposed  burglars  were  arrested.  Next 
morning,  Captain  Bones  and  his  chief  officer  were 
snugly  reposing  in  the  county  jail,  while  Terrence, 
Fernando  and  Job  set  out  across  the  country  for 
Augusta.  From  this  point  they  took  passage  in  a 
swift  coaster  for  New  York.  At  New  York  they 
separated,  Terrence  going  to  Philadelphia,  Job  to 
Baltimore,  and  Fernando  to  his  home  in  Ohio. 

His  journey  was  long  and  tedious.  At  the  close 
of  a  hot  day  in  autumn,  1811,  the  old  stage  coach 
came  in  sight  of  the  dear  old  home.  The  past  four 
years  seemed  like  a  terrible  dream.  The  old  fa- 
miliar spot,  where  every  tree  and  flower  was  en- 
deared by  sacred  remembrances,  was  never  half  so 
precious  as  now.  His  gray -haired  father  and  sor- 
rowful mother,  who  had  long  given  him  up  for 
dead,  wept  over  him  and  thanked  God  that  he  had 
returned  to  again  bless  their  home.  Friends,  rela- 
tives and  neighbors,  hearing  of  the  sudden  return 
of  Fernando,  all  gathered  on  that  evening,  and  the 
youth  told  the  sad  story  of  his  impressment  and 


SHIPWRECK.  341 

slavery.  He  told  all  save  his  love  affair.  That 
secret  was  too  sacred.  When  he  had  finished,  good 
old  Mrs.  Winners  was  weeping  bitterly,  and  there 
was  scarce  a  dry  eye  in  the  house;  for  all  remem- 
bered that  poor  Sukey  was  still  a  slave  to  the 
rapacity  and  cruelty  of  an  ambitious  monarch. 
16 


CHAPTER   XII. 

WAR. 

THE  story  of  the  impressment,  service  and  suffer- 
ings of  Fernando  Stevens  and  his  friends  are  no 
exaggerations.  Well  authenticated  history  shows 
that  there  were  thousands  of  cases  similar,  and  even 
worse  than  theirs.  The  conduct  of  England  was 
without  precedent  and  unbearable.  Their  great 
need  of  men  might  have  been  some  excuse  for  im- 
pressment of  Americans ;  but  there  was  a  spice  of 
hatred  in  their  cruel  treatment  of  the  unfortunate 
sailors. 

We  read  much  about  the  rulers  moulding  the 
destiny  of  the  people ;  but  in  our  republic  the  peo- 
ple mould  the  destiny  of  the  rulers.  Long  before 
the  president  had  dared  express  a  thought  of  war, 
there  were  staid  old  western  farmers,  level-headed 
old  fellows,  who  declared  that  war  was  inevitable. 
America  is  not  a  country  to  be  ruled  by  one  man. 
The  people  rule  it,  and  every  man  thinks  for  him- 
self, so  that  out  of  the  conflict  of  opinions  the  truth 
is  usually  reached.  Before  even  the  fiery  congress 
of  1812  had  taken  up  the  subject  of  hostilities,  the 
242 


WAR.  243 

legislatures  of  the  several  States,  urged  by  their 
farmer  constituency,  had  by  concurrent  resolutions 
declared  in  favor  of  war;  but  the  timid  president, 
influenced  by  his  own  convictions  and  the  opinions 
of  his  cabinet,  still  hesitated.  Finally  a  committee 
of  Democrats  waited  on  Mr.  Madison  and  told  him 
plainly,  in  substance,  that  the  supporters  of  his 
administration  had  determined  upon  war  with  Eng- 
land, that  the  patience  of  the  people  had  become 
exhausted  at  his  delay,  and  that  unless  a  declara- 
tion of  war  should  soon  be  made,  his  renomination 
and  re-election  would  probably  not  be  accomplished. 
The  president  consented  to  yield  his  own  convic- 
tions to  the  will  of  his  political  friends.  Thus 
we  see  that  President  Madison  was  not  moved 
through  patriotic  motives  to  declare  war  against 
Great  Britain,  but  from  personal  ambition.  Patri- 
otic motives  follow  personal  convictions,  be  they 
right  or  wrong. 

On  the  first  of  April,  1812,  he  sent  a  confiden- 
tial message  to  congress,  proposing,  as  a  measure 
preliminary  to  a  declaration  of  war,  the  passage  of 
a  law  laying  an  embargo  upon  all  commerce  with 
the  United  States  for  the  space  of  sixty  days.  This 
was  done  on  the  fourth  of  April,  and  on  the  eighth, 
Louisiana  was  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  State. 

At  the  end  of  the  sixty  days  embargo,  Madison 
sent  a  message  to  congress  in  which  he  reviewed  the 


244  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

difficulties  with  Great  Britain,  portrayed  the  ag- 
gressions of  that  power,  and  intimated  the  necessity 
of  war  for  the  maintenance  of  the  honor  and  dignity 
of  the  republic.  The  message  was  referred  to  the 
committee  on  foreign  relations,  when  a  majority  of 
them — John  C.  Calhoun  of  South  Carolinia,  Felix 
Grundy  of  Tennessee,  John  Smillie  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, John  A.  Harper  of  New  Hampshire,  Joseph 
Desha  of  Kentucky  and  Seaver  of  Massachusetts 
reported,  June  3,  a  manifesto  as  the  basis  of  a 
declaration  of  war.  On  the  next  day,  a  bill  to 
that  effect,  drawn  by  Attorney -General  Pinckney 
in  the  following  form  was  adopted  and  presented 
by  Mr.  Calhoun: 

"  That  war  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby,  declared 
to  exist  between  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  and  the  dependencies  thereof, 
and  the  United  States  of  America  and  their  Terri- 
tories, and  that  the  president  of  the  United  States 
is  hereby  authorized  to  use  the  whole  land  and 
naval  force  of  the  United  States  to  carry  the  same 
into  effect,  and  to  issue  to  private  armed  vessels  of 
the  United  States  commissions,  or  letters  of  marque 
and  general  reprisal,  in  such  form  as  he  shall  think 
proper,  and  under  the  seal  of  the  United  States, 
against  the  vessels,  goods  and  effects  of  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  said  United  Kingdom  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland  and  the  subjects  thereof. " 


WAR.  245 

Pending  these  proceedings,  congress  sat  with 
closed  doors.  The  bill  passed  the  house  of  repre- 
sentatives by  a  vote  of  75  to  49,  and  the  senate  by 
19  to  13.  The  president's  immediate  signature 
made  it  a  law;  and  two  days  later,  June  19,  1812, 
Mr.  Madison  issued  a  proclamation,  in  which  he 
formally  declared  war  against  the  offending  govern- 
ment and  people. 

Thus  began  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain, 
generally  known  in  the  annals  of  history  as  the 
War  of  1812,  though  it  was  in  reality  the  second 
war  for  independence.  It  was  the  war  which  es- 
tablished independence  beyond  the  cavil  of  a  doubt 
and  sustained  the  honor  of  the  nation. 

Immediate  measures  were  taken  by  congress  to 
sustain  the  declaration  of  war.  The  president  was 
authorized  to  enlist  25,000  men  for  the  regular 
army,  accept  50,000  volunteers  and  call  out  100,- 
000  militia  for  the  defence  of  the  seacoast.  About 
$3,000,000  were  appropriated  for  the  navy. 

There  were  very  few  men  in  the  United  States 
trained  in  the  art  of  war  at  this  time.  West  Point 
was  in  its  infancy,  having  been  authorized  only  ten 
years  before,  and  as  yet  had  not  been  able  to  ac- 
complish anything.  The  older  officers  of  the  Revo- 
lution were  already  in  their  graves,  and  the  younger 
ones  were  far  advanced  in  life ;  yet  to  the  latter 
alone,  the  government  felt  compelled  to  look  for  its 


246  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

military  leaders.  Henry  Dearborn,  a  meritorious 
New  Hampshire  colonel  in  the  continental  army, 
was  commissioned  major-general  and  commander  - 
in-chief.  His  principal  brigadiers  were  James 
Wilkinson,  who  was  on  the  staff  of  General  Gates 
in  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  Wade  Hampton,  who 
had  done  good  partisan  service  with  Marion,  Sum- 
ter,  and  others  in  South  Carolinia,  William  Hull, 
who  had  served  as  colonel  in  the  old  war  for  inde- 
pendence, and  Joseph  Bloomfield,  who  had  been  a 
captain  in  the  New  Jersey  line. 

At  that  time,  Hull  was  a  governor  of  the  terri- 
tory of  Michigan.  Satisfied  that  the  American 
navy  could  not  cope  with  that  of  Great  Britain, 
the  Americans  based  their  hopes  for  success  largely 
upon  the  supposed  dissatisfaction  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Canada  and  other  British  colonial  possessions  on 
their  border.  It  was  believed  that  the  Canadians 
would  flock  to  the  American  standard  as  soon  as  it 
was  raised  on  their  soil.  The  American  people 
have  always  clung  to  the  belief  that  Canadians 
were  not  loyal  to  Great  Britain.  It  was  the  mis- 
take of  1775,  it  was  the  mistake  of  1812,  and 
strange  to  say  Americans  still  hug  the  delusion  to 
their  breasts  that  Canada  favors  annexation.  They 
have  reason  for  their  belief  only  in  the  doctrine 
that  such  an  annexation  would  be  in  the  interests 
of  Canada,  disregarding  the  stubborn  fact  that  in 


WAR.  247 

political  matters,  prejudices,  rather  than  interests, 
control. 

Canada  was  then  divided  into  the  Upper  and 
Lower  Provinces,  the  former  extending  westward 
from  Montreal,  along  the  shores  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence and  Lake  Ontario,  to  Lake  Huron  and  the 
Detroit  River.  It  included  about  one  hundred 
thousand  inhabitants,  who  were  principally  the 
families  of  American  loyalists,  who  had  been  com- 
pelled to  abandon  their  homes  in  the  States  at  the 
close  of  the  war  of  the  Eevolution,  and  had  since 
lived  under  the  fostering  care  of  the  British  gov- 
ernment. They  were  loyal  to  Great  Britain  from 
lingering  resentment  to  the  Americans,  and  because 
of  the  kindness  of  the  English  government. 

In  1812,  George,  Prince  of  Wales,  was  really 
the  monarch  of  Great  Britain,  for  the  court  physi- 
cians had  pronounced  his  father,  George  III.,  hope- 
lessly insane.  Great  Britain  was  waging  a  tremen- 
dous war  against  Napoleon,  having  just  formed 
an  alliance  with  Russia  against  the  ambitious  Cor- 
sican.  England's  naval  armament  on  the  American 
stations,  Halifax,  Newfoundland,  Jamaica  and  the 
Leeward  Islands,  then  consisted  of  five  ships-of- 
the-line,  nineteen  frigates,  forty -one  brigs  and  six- 
teen schooners  and  some  armed  vessels  on  Lakes 
Ontario  and  Erie,  with  several  others  building. 
The  British  land  forces  in  the  two  Canadian  prov- 


248  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

inces  were  about  seven  thousand  five  hundred, 
while  the  number  of  Canadian  militia  did  not  ex- 
ceed forty  thousand  with  a  frontier  of  seven  hun- 
dred miles  to  guard. 

The  governor  of  Michigan  went  to  Washington 
City  in  the  winter  of  1812  and  heard  the  question 
of  the  invasion  of  western  Canada  discussed.  He 
informed  the  president  that  the  success  of  such  an 
enterprise  depended  on  having  armed  vessels  on 
Lake  Erie,  with  a  competent  force  in  the  northwest 
to  protect  the  American  frontier  against  the  In- 
dians. In  the  spring,  Governor  Meigs  of  Ohio 
summoned  the  militia  of  that  State  to  rendezvous 
at  Dayton,  to  meet  the  impending  danger.  Hull 
accepted  the  commission  of  brigadier,  and  late  in 
May  arrived  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  took  command 
of  the  troops  at  that  place.  Hull  had  under  him 
such  noted  officers  as  Colonels  Duncan  Me  Arthur, 
James  Findlay  and  Lewis  Cass.  With  these  forces, 
he  marched  to  Detroit,  through  an  almost  trackless 
wilderness.  While  on  the  march  with  about  two 
thousand  men,  Hull  was  informed  of  the  declara- 
tion of  war,  which  news  at  the  same  time  reached 
the  British  posts  in  Canada,  and  his  little  army 
was  in  imminent  peril.  The  government  gave 
Hull  discretionary  power  for  invading  Canada. 

General  Sir  Isaac  Brock,  Lieutenant  Governor 
of  upper  Canada,  was  in  command  of  the  British 


WAR.  249 

forces.  On  July  12,  1812,  Hull  crossed  the  De- 
troit Kiver  with  his  whole  force  and  encamped  at 
some  unfinished  works  at  Sandwich,  preparatory 
to  an  attack  on  Fort  Maiden  near  the  present  Am- 
herstburg.  From  this  point,  Hull  issued  a  proc- 
lamation, promising  protection  to  the  inhabitants 
who  would  remain  at  home  and  death  to  all  who 
should  side  with  the  Indians,  then  gathering  under 
Tecumseh  at  Maiden.  General  Proctor  was  sent  to 
take  command  at  Fort  Maiden,  while  Brock  began 
to  assemble  a  force  about  him  at  Fort  George. 
Here  he  was  joined  by  John  Brant,  son  of  the 
great  Mohawk  chief  with  one  hundred  warriors 
from  Grand  River. 

By  his  extreme  caution  and  delay,  Hull  lost  his 
opportunity  to  capture  Fort  Maiden,  which  was 
soon  strongly  reinforced  by  British  and  Indians. 
Meanwhile,  information  reached  Hull  of  the  fall  of 
the  fort  on  Mackinaw.  He  also  learned  that  Fort 
Dearborn  at  Chicago  was  invested,  while  a  detach- 
ment under  Major  Van  Home,  sent  down  to  the 
West  side  of  the  Detroit  River  to  escort  a  supply 
train  from  Ohio,  was  attacked  by  the  British  and 
Indians,  and  after  a  sharp  fight  defeated.  Hull 
decided  to  retreat  to  Detroit.  The  order  was  a 
surprise  and  disappointment  to  the  army,  and  drew 
from  some  of  the  young  officers  very  harsh  remarks 
concerning  the  imbecility  and  even  treachery  of 


250  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

General  Hull.  Sullenly  the  army  crossed  the  river, 
and  on  the  morning  of  the  8th  of  August  encamped 
under  the  shelter  of  Fort  Detroit.  On  the  same 
day  Colonel  Miller  and  several  hundred  men  were 
sent  to  accomplish  what  Van  Home  had  failed  to 
do.  They  met  and  defeated  the  Indians  under 
Tecumseh  and  a  small  British  force  near  the  scene 
of  Van  Home's  disaster,  and  were  about  to  press 
forward  to  meet  the  supply  party  and  escort  them 
to  camp,  when  the  commander-in-chief  recalled 
them. 

On  the  13th  of  August,  Gen.  Brock,  a  brave, 
energetic  officer  reached  Maiden  with  reinforce- 
ments. Aware  of  the  character  of  Hull,  he  pre- 
pared for  the  conquest  of  Detroit.  On  the  14th, 
he  planted  batteries  at  Sandwich,  opposite  the  for- 
tress of  Detroit  and  demanded  its  surrender,  stating 
that  otherwise  he  should  be  unable  to  restrain  the 
fury  of  the  savages.  Instigated  by  his  officers,  Hull 
answered  this  by  a  spirited  refusal  and  a  declara- 
tion that  the  fort  and  town  would  be  defended  to 
the  last  extremity.  The  British  commenced  a 
cannonade,  and  Hull  was  greatly  distressed  at  the 
number  of  women  and  children  in  the  fort,  exposed 
to  the  fire  of  the  enemy.  The  more  charitably  in- 
clined historian  interprets  his  acts  as  the  result  of 
tender  regard  for  the  helpless  and  innocent,  rather 
than  cowardice,  especially  as  his  daughter  and  her 


WAR.  351 

little  children  came  near  being  slain  by  a  ricochet- 
ing cannon-ball,  which  almost  annihilated  a  group 
of  officers  in  front  of  the  door  of  the  house  in  which 
the  mother  and  her  children  were.  The  firing  con- 
tinued until  next  day.  The  alarm  and  consterna- 
tion of  General  Hull  had  now  become  extreme.  On 
the  12th,  the  field  officers,  suspecting  that  the  gen- 
eral intended  to  surrender  the  fort,  had  determined 
on  his  arrest.  This  was  probably  prevented,  in 
consequence  of  Col.  Me  Arthur  and  Cass,  two  very 
active  and  spirited  officers,  being  detached,  on  the 
13th,  with  four  hundred  men,  on  a  third  expedi- 
tion to  the  river  Raisin. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  16th,  the  British 
landed  at  Springwell,  three  miles  below  the  town, 
without  opposition,  and  marched  up  in  solid  col- 
umn toward  the  fort  along  the  river  bank.  The 
troops  were  strongly  posted,  and  cannon  loaded 
with  grape  stood  on  a  commanding  eminence  ready 
to  sweep  the  advancing  columns.  The  troops,  an- 
ticipating a  brilliant  victory,  waited  in  eager  ex- 
pectation the  advance  of  the  British.  What  was 
their  disappointment  and  mortification  at  the  very 
moment,  when  it  was  thought  the  British  were  ad- 
vancing to  certain  destruction,  orders  were  given 
for  them  to  retire  within  the  fort,  and  for  the 
artillery  not  to  fire.  Then,  the  men  were  ordered 
to  stack  their  arms,  and,  to  the  astonishment  of 


252  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

all,  a  white  flag  was  suspended  from  the  walls,  and 
Hull,  panic  stricken,  surrendered  the  fortress  with- 
out even  stipulating  the  terms.  The  surrender 
included,  beside  the  troops  at  Detroit,  the  detach- 
ments under  Cass  and  McArthur,  and  the  party 
under  Captain  Brush  at  the  river  Raisin.  No 
provision  was  made  for  the  unfortunate  Canadians 
who  had  joined  General  Hull,  and  several  of  them 
were  hung  as  traitors. 

The  disgraceful  surrender  of  Detroit,  excited 
universal  indignation  throughout  the  country. 
When  McArthur's  sword  was  demanded,  he  indig- 
nantly broke  it,  tore  the  epaulettes  from  his  shoul- 
ders and  threw  himself  upon  the  ground.  When 
General  Hull  was  exchanged,  he  was  tried  by  a 
court-martial,  found  guilty  of  cowardice  and  sen- 
tenced to  be  shot;  but,  in  consequence  of  his  revo- 
lutionary services  and  his  advanced  age,  the  presi- 
dent pardoned  him.  His  fair  fame,  however,  has 
ever  since  been  blasted  with  the  breath  of  cowardice. 

While  General  Hull  was  in  Canada,  he  dispatched 
Winnemeg,  a  friendly  Indian,  to  Captain  Heald, 
the  commander  of  Fort  Dearborn,  at  the  small  trad- 
ing post  of  Chicago,  with  the  information  of  the 
loss  of  Mackinaw,  and  directed  him  to  distribute 
his  stores  among  the  Indians,  and  return  to  Fort 
Wayne.  Captain  Heald  had  ample  means  of  de- 
fence; but  the  order  received  on  the  9th  of  August 


WAR.  253 

left  nothing  to  his  discretion.  The  Pottawatomies, 
however,  having  obtained  intelligence  of  the  war 
from  a  runner  sent  by  Tecumseh,  collected,  to  the 
number  of  several  hundred,  around  the  fort.  Not- 
withstanding the  evident  hostile  demonstration  of 
the  Indians,  Captain  Heald  proceeded  to  obey  his 
superior's  orders.  He  distributed  his  stores  among 
the  Indians,  excepting  what  was  most  wanted; 
while  liquors  and  ammunition  which  they  could 
not  take,  were  thrown  into  the  lake.  This  act  en- 
raged the  Pottawatomies.  On  the  14th,  Captain 
Wells  arrived  with  fifteen  friendly  Miamies  from 
Fort  Wayne.  This  intrepid  warrior,  who  had  been 
bred  among  the  Indians,  hearing  that  his  friends  at 
Chicago  were  in  danger,  had  hastened  thither  to 
avert  the  fate,  which  he  knew  must  ensue  to  the  little 
garrison,  if  they  evacuated  the  fort;  but  he  was 
too  late ;  the  ammunition  and  provisions  both  being 
gone,  there  was  no  alternative.  The  next  day 
(August  15th),  all  being  ready,  the  garrison  left 
the  fort  with  martial  music  and  in  military  array. 

Captain  Wells,  at  the  head  of  the  Miamies,  led 
the  van,  his  face  blackened  after  the  manner  of  the 
Indians. 

The  garrison,  with  loaded  arms,  followed,  and 
the  wagons  with  the  baggage,  the  women  and  chil- 
dren, the  sick  and  the  lame  closed  the  rear.  The 
Pottawatomies,  about  five  hundred  in  number,  who 


254  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

had  promised  to  escort  them  in  safety  to  Fort 
Wayne,  leaving  a  little  space,  afterward  followed. 
The  party  in  advance  took  the  beach  road.  They 
had  no  sooner  arrived  at  the  sand-hills,  which  sep- 
arated the  prairie  from  the  beach,  about  a  half  mile 
from  the  fort,  when  the  Pottawatomies,  instead  of 
continuing  in  the  rear  of  the  Americans,  left  the 
beach  and  took  to  the  prairie.  The  sand-hills  in- 
tervened and  presented  a  barrier  between  the  Potta- 
watomies and  the  American  and  Miami  line  of 
march.  This  divergence  had  scarcely  been  effected, 
when  Captain  Wells,  who,  with  the  Miamies,  was 
considerably  in  advance,  rode  back  and  exclaimed: 

"  They  are  about  to  attack  us ;  form  instantly 
and  charge  upon  them." 

The  words  had  scarcely  been  uttered,  before  a 
volley  of  musketry  from  behind  the  sand-hills  was 
poured  in  upon  them.  The  troops  were  brought 
immediately  into  line  and  charged  up  the  bank. 
One  man,  a  veteran  of  seventy,  fell  as  they  as- 
cended. The  battle  at  once  became  general.  The 
Miamies  fled  in  the  outset. 

The  American  troops  behaved  gallantly.  Though 
few  in  number,  they  sold  their  lives  as  dearly  as 
possible.  While  the  battle  was  raging,  the  sur- 
geon, Doctor  Voorhes,  who  was  badly  wounded, 
and  whose  horse  had  been  shot  under  him,  ap- 
proaching Mrs.  Helm,  the  wife  of  Lieutenant  Helm, 


WAR.  255 

with  his  face  the  picture  of   dread  and  despair, 
asked : 

"  Do  you  think  they  will  take  our  lives?  I  am 
badly  wounded,  but  I  think  not  mortally.  Per- 
haps we  can  purchase  safety  by  offering  a  large 
reward.  Do  you  think  there  is  any  chance?" 

"Doctor  Voorhes,"  the  brave  little  woman  an- 
swered, "  let  us  not  waste  the  few  moments  which 
yet  remain,  in  idle  or  ill-founded  hopes.  Our  fate 
is  inevitable.  We  must  soon  appear  at  the  bar  of 
God.  Let  us  make  such  preparations  as  are  in  our 
power. " 

"  Oh,  I  cannot  die !  I  am  unfit  to  die !  If  I  had 
a  short  time  to  prepare! — oh,  death,  how  awful!" 

At  this  moment,  Ensign  Rorian  was  fighting  at  a 
little  distance  with  a  tall  and  portly  Indian.  The 
former,  mortally  wounded,  was  nearly  down  and 
struggling  desperately  on  one  knee.  Mrs.  Helm, 
pointing  her  finger  and  directing  the  attention  of 
the  doctor  to  him,  cried: 

"Look  at  that  young  man;  he  dies  like  a  sol- 
dier!" 

"  Yes, "  said  the  doctor,  "  but  he  has  no  terrors 
of  the  future ;  he  is  an  unbeliever. " 

A  young  savage  sprang  at  Mrs.  Helm,  whose 
horse  had  been  shot,  and  raised  his  tomahawk  to 
strike  her.  She  instantly  sprang  aside,  and  the 
blow  intended  for  her  head,  fell  upon  her  shoulders. 


256  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

She  thereupon  seized  him  around  his  neck,  and, 
while  exerting  all  her  efforts  to  get  possession  of 
his  scalping  knife,  was  seized  by  another  Indian 
and  dragged  forcibly  from  his  grasp.  The  latter 
bore  her,  struggling  and  resisting,  toward  the  lake. 
Notwithstanding,  however,  the  rapidity  with  which 
she  was  hurried  along,  she  recognized,  as  she  passed, 
the  form  of  the  unfortunate  doctor  stretched  life- 
less on  the  prairie.  She  was  plunged  into  the 
water  and  held  there,,  despite  her  resistance,  with 
a  strong  Land.  It  soon  became  evident,  however, 
that  it  was  not  the  intention  of  her  captor  to  drown 
her,  as  he  took  care  to  keep  her  head  above  the 
water.  Thus  reassured,  she  gave  him  a  careful 
look  and  recognized  him,  despite  his  disguise,  as 
"Black  Partridge,  the  white  man's  friend."  It 
was  this  friendly  savage  who  had  warned  Captain 
Heald  to  beware  of  the  march.  Through  the  in 
terpreter  he  said: 

"  Linden  birds  have  been  singing  in  my  ears  to- 
day ;  be  careful  on  the  march  you  are  going  to 
take." 

The  troops,  having  fought  with  desperation  until 
two-thirds  of  their  number  were  slain,  the  remain- 
der, twenty-seven  in  all,  borne  down  by  an  over- 
whelming force,  and  exhausted  by  efforts  hitherto 
unequal ed,  at  length  surrendered.  They  stipu- 
lated, however,  for  their  own  safety  and  for  the 


IT  SOON  BECAME  EVIDENT  THAT  HE  DID  NOT  INTEND  TO 
DROWN   HER. 


258  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

safety  of  their  remaining  women  and  children. 
The  wounded  prisoners,  however,  in  the  hurry  of 
the  moment  were  forgotten,  and  were,  therefore, 
regarded  by  the  Indians  as  having  been  excluded. 

One  of  the  soldiers'  wives,  having  been  told  that 
prisoners  taken  by  the  Indians  were  put  to  terrible 
tortures,  resolved  from  the  first  not  to  surrender. 
When  a  party  of  savages  approached  her,  she  fought 
with  desperation,  although  assured  of  kind  treat- 
ment, and,  exciting  the  anger  of  the  Indians,  was 
killed  and  left  on  the  field.  After  the  surrender, 
twelve  children  in  one  of  the  baggage  wagons  were 
slain  by  a  single  savage. 

Mrs.  Rebecca  Heald,  the  young  captain's  wife, 
like  Mrs.  Helm  was  mounted  on  a  horse.  She  car- 
ried a  rifle  with  which  she  shot  a  savage  dead. 
During  the  massacre,  an  Indian,  with  the  fury  of  a 
demon  in  his  countenance,  advanced  to  her  with 
his  tomahawk  raised.  She  had  been  accustomed 
to  danger  and,  knowing  the  temper  of  the  Indians, 
with  great  presence  of  mind,  looked  him  in  the 
face  and,  smiling,  said: 

"  Truly,  you  will  not  kill  a  squaw?" 

His  arm  fell  powerless  at  his  side.  The  con- 
ciliating smile  of  an  innocent  female,  appealing  to 
the  magnanimity  of  a  warrior,  reached  the  heart  of 
the  savage  and  subdued  the  barbarity  of  his  soul. 

Captain  Heald  and  his  wife,  by  the  aid  and  in- 


WAR.  259 

fluence  of  To-pa-na-hee  and  Kee-po-tah,  were  put 
into  a  bark  canoe  and  paddled  by  the  chief  of  the 
Pottawatomies  and  his  wife  to  Mackinaw,  three 
hundred  miles  distant,  along  the  eastern  coast  of 
Lake  Michigan,  and  delivered  to  the  British  com- 
mander. They  were  kindly  received  and  afterward 
sent  as  prisoners  to  Detroit,  where  they  were  finally 
exchanged. 

Lieutenant  Helm  was  wounded  in  the  action  and 
taken  prisoner.  He  was  afterward  taken  by  some 
friendly  Indians  to  Au  Sable,  and  from  thence  to 
St.  Louis,  and  was  liberated  from  captivity  through 
the  intervention  of  Mr.  Thomas  Forsyth,  an  Indian 
trader.  Mrs.  Helm  was  slightly  wounded  in  the 
ankle,  and  had  her  horse  shot  from  under  her,  when 
assailed  by  the  savage  from  whom  Black  Partridge 
rescued  her.  After  passing  through  many  trying 
scenes  and  ordeals,  she  was  finally  taken  to  Detroit 
and  subsequently  joined  her  husband.  The  sol- 
diers, with  their  wives  and  children,  were  dispersed 
among  the  Pottawatomies  on  the  Illinois,  the  Wa- 
bash  and  the  Rock  Rivers,  and  some  were  taken  to 
Milwaukee.  In  the  following  spring,  they  were 
principally  collected  at  Detroit  and  ransomed.  A 
part  of  them,  however,  remained  in  captivity  an- 
other year,  and  during  that  period  experienced 
more  kindness  than  they  or  their  friends  had  ex- 
pected. 


260  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Captain  Wells,  the  intrepid  leader  of  the  Mia- 
mies,  remained  with  the  Americans  after  his  war- 
riors fled  and  fell  in  the  massacre.  On  the  spot 
where  this  massacre  occurred  a  little  over  two  gen- 
erations ago,  now  stands  a  city,  whose  growth  is 
one  of  the  marvels  in  the  history  of  the  progress  of 
our  great  nation  within  the  present  century.  It  is 
the  centre  of  a  railway  system  connecting  the  East 
with  the  West  by  fully  twelve  thousand  miles  of 
railroad,  all  tributary  to  Chicago;  and  that  city, 
which  was  only  the  germ  of  a  small  village  fifty 
years  ago,  now  has  more  than  a  million  inhabitants, 
and  is  the  great  grain  market  of  the  western  con- 
tinent. 

On  the  bloody  sands  where  Captain  Heald's 
small  command  fought  so  nobly  is  now  (1893)  being 
held  a  great  international  exposition,  the  "  World's 
Columbian  Exposition"  in  celebration  of  the  dis- 
covery of  the  New  World  by  Columbus. 

Thus  far,  the  war  with  England  had  not  been 
encouraging  to  Americans.  Within  two  months 
from  the  time  of  this  declaration,  the  whole  north- 
west, excepting  Forts  Harrison  and  Wayne  in  the 
Indian  Territory,  were  in  possession  of  the  enemy. 
Alarm  and  astonishment  prevailed  throughout  the 
West.  The  great  mass  of  Indians,  ever  ready  to 
join  the  successful  party,  were  flocking  to  the 
British;  but  by  the  spirited  exertion  of  the  gov- 


WAR.  261 

ernors  of  Ohio,  Kentucky  and  Indiana,  three  thou- 
sand volunteers  were  quickly  raised  and  placed 
under  command  of  General  W.  H.  Harrison,  for 
the  purpose  of  subduing  the  Indians  and  regaining 
what  was  lost  at  Detroit. 


CHAPTER   XIXJ. 

THE     PEACE     PARTY. 

TERRENCE  MALONE,  with  all  his  frivolity  and 
tendency  toward  ludicrousness,  had  a  remarkable 
amount  of  shrewdness  in  his  composition.  He  was 
a  bold,  harum  scarum  fellow,  as  liable  to  pull  the 
beard  of  a  king,  as  to  kick  a  pauper.  Though  he 
had  fared  well  for  an  impressed  seaman,  Terrence 
had  no  love  for  Great  Britain.  Like  others  of  his 
race,  he  made  a  noble  American.  One  can  scarcely 
find  a  more  patriotic  American  than  the  Irish 
American,  who,  driven  by  tyranny  from  the  land 
of  his  birth,  transfers  his  love  to  the  land  of  his 
adoption.  America  has  never  had  a  war  in  which 
the  brave  sons  of  the  Emerald  Isle  have  not  been 
found  under  the  star-spangled  banner,  musket  in 
hand,  risking  their  lives  for  their  adopted  country. 

Young  Malone  had  a  double  cause  to  hate  Eng- 
land. His  father  had  been  driven  from  Ireland, 
when  Terrence  was  but  a  child,  by  the  tyranny  of 
the  British,  and  he  had  been  made  to  give  almost 
four  of  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  the  service  of 
King  George. 

262 


THE  PEACE  PARTY.  263 

In  January,  1812,  Terrence  announced  to  his 
father  his  intention  of  going  to  Washington  City. 

"  What  the  divil  be  ye  goin'  to  Washington 
City  for,  me  boy?" 

"  To  see  the  prisident, "  was  the  answer. 

"  You'd  better  be  goin'  to  school,  I'm  thinkin'." 

"School,  father!"  said  Terrence,  with  an  im- 
patient shrug  of  his  shoulders.  "  Faith,  don't 
talk  to  me  of  schools  and  colleges,  when  it's  a  war 
we  are  goin'  to  have,  sure.  My  next  school  will 
be  breakin'  heads." 

"  Be  the  times,  you'll  have  yer  own  cracked!" 

"  Not  before  I've  got  even  with  some  of  the 
divilish  Britons,  methinks. " 

"  What  be  ye  goin'  to  see  the  prisident  about?" 

This  interview,  the  reader  will  bear  in  mind, 
was  before  war  had  been  declared. 

"  I  am  going  to  tell  Prisident  Madison  to  give 
Johnny  Bull  a  good  whippin'." 

"  Prisident  Madison  will  tell  yez  to  moind  yer 
own  business,"  the  Hibernian  answered. 

"We'll  see  about  that!" 

Terrence  was  determined  on  making  the  journey, 
and  he  set  out  next  day  by  the  mail  coach  for 
Washington  City.  Public  houses  in  Washington 
were  not  numerous  then,  yet  there  were  a  few  good 
hotels,  and  he  put  up  at  the  old  Continental  House. 
Terrence,  with  all  his  reckless  impetuosity,  pro- 


364  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

ceeded  carefully  to  his  point.  Where  boldness 
won  success,  he  was  bold;  where  caution  and  pru- 
dence were  essential  to  win,  he  was  cautious  and 
prudent. 

He  noticed  a  door  opening  into  a  room  from  the 
main  corridor,  over  which  was  tacked  a  strip  of 
white  canvas  bearing  in  large  black  letters  the 
words : 

"HEADQUARTERS   OF  THE  PEACE  PARTY." 

Men  were  coming  and  going  from  this  apartment 
with  grave  and  serious  faces  and  corrugated  brows, 
as  if  they  had  the  weight  of  all  the  world  on  their 
shoulders.  Terrence  watched  the  comers  and  goers 
awhile  and  then  halted  a  colored  chambermaid, 
and,  in  an  awe-inspiring  whisper,  asked  who  was 
sick  in  the  room  "  ferninst. "  He  was  told  no  one. 
He  thought  some  one  must  be  dangerously  ill, 
people  went  in  and  out  so  softly  and  talked  in 
such  low  tones;  but  she  assured  him  it  was  the 
room  where  the  "  peace  party"  met  to  discuss 
means  to  prevent  President  Madison  and  congress 
from  declaring  or  prosecuting  war  against  Great 
Britain.  That  those  men  were  congressmen  or 
merchants  from  Boston  and  other  New  England 
towns,  who  opposed  war. 

Terrence  was  opposed  to  peace,  and  he  knew  no 
better  way  to  declare  war  than  to  begin  it  on  the 


THE  PEACE  PARTY.  265 

peace  party.  A  bull  was  never  made  more  furious 
at  sight  of  a  red  flag,  than  Terrence  Malone  at  the 
streamer  of  the  peace  party.  One  who  knows  what 
Terrence  had  suffered  cannot  blame  him.  At  the 
very  outset  of  the  war,  the  government  encoun- 
tered open  and  secret,  manly  and  cowardly  opposi- 
tion. The  Federalists  in  congress,  who  had  op- 
posed the  war  scheme  of  the  administration  from 
the  beginning,  published  an  address  to  their  con- 
stituents in  which  they  set  forth  the  state  of  the 
country  at  that  time,  the  course  of  the  administra- 
tion, and  its  supporters  in  congress,  and  the  minor- 
ity opinion  for  opposing  the  war.  This  was  fair 
and,  if  they  acted  on  their  convictions  and  not 
from  political  prejudices,  was  honorable ;  but  out- 
side and  inside  of  congress  there  was  a  party  of 
politicians  composed  of  Federalists  and  disaffected 
Democrats,  organized  under  the  name  of  the  Peace 
Party,  whose  object  was  to  cast  obstructions  in  the 
way  of  the  prosecution  of  war,  and  to  compel  the 
government,  by  weakening  its  resources  and  embar- 
rassing the  operations,  to  make  peace.  They  tried 
to  derange  the  public  finances,  discredit  the  faith 
of  the  government,  prevent  enlistment,  and  in 
every  way  to  cripple  the  administration  and  bring 
it  into  discredit  with  the  people.  It  was  an,  un- 
patriotic and  mischievous  faction,  and  the  great 
leaders  of  the  Federalists,  like  Mr.  Quincy  and  Mr. 


266  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Eraot,  who,  when  the  war  began,  lent  their  aid 
to  the  government  in  its  extremity,  frowned  upon 
these  real  enemies  of  their  country  ;  but  the  machi- 
nations of  the  Peace  Party  continued  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  and  did  infinite  mischief  unmixed 
with  any  good.* 

This  was  the  contemptible  Peace  Party  at  whose 
headquarters  Terrence  Malone  stood  gazing.  He 
determined  to  venture  into  the  den  and  see  what 
it  was  like.  The  hour  for  the  opening  of  congress 
had  arrived,  and  men  with  bundles  of  papers  in 
their  hands  and  anxious  looks  on  their  faces  hurried 
away  to  the  capitol  building.  Some  were  con- 
gressmen, but  most  of  them  were  New  England 
merchants.  Terrence  waited  until  all  were  gone, 
then,  as  the  door  of  the  headquarters  stood  wide 
open  inviting  him  to  enter,  he  walked  boldly  into 
the  apartment. 

A  man  about  thirty-five,  dressed  very  neatly, 
with  glasses  on,  was  writing  at  a  table  littered  with 
papers. 

"  Good  morning  to  yez, "  said  Terrence  entering. 

"  Good  morning,  sir, "  said  the  writer,  giving 
him  a  glance  and  resuming  his  writing  as  if  the 
fate  of  the  nation  depended  on  it. 

"  An'  so  this  is  the  place  where  ye  make  peace?" 

*  Lossing's  "Our  Country,"  Vol.  V.,  Page  1203. 


THE  PEACE  PARTY.  367 

"  It's  the  place  where  we  keep  peace.  It's  the 
place  where  we  oppose  the  foolish  and  suicidal 
policy  of  President  Madison,"  was  the  curt  answer. 

"  Who  are  you,  misther?" 

"  I  am  Ebenezer  Crane,  sir,  secretary  of  the  Peace 
Party. " 

"Well,  Misther  Ebenezer  Crane,"  and  Terrence 
glanced  at  the  secretary's  long  legs,  as  if  he  thought 
the  name  no  misnomer,  "  will  yez  answer  me  a  few 
questions?" 

"  Certainly, "  and  Mr.  Crane  threw  down  his  pen, 
wheeled  his  chair  about  and  looked  vastly  impor- 
tant. "  What  have  you  to  ask?" 

"  Why  do  you  oppose  the  war?" 

"  Why  should  I  favor  it?" 

"  Don't  the  government  promise  protection  to  its 
citizens?  Is  not  the  blissed  stars  and  stripes  in- 
sulted by  the  British?  Have  not  they  set  the  mur- 
dherin'  haythin  to  killin'  innocent  women  and 
children  on  the  frontier,  and  have  they  surrendered 
the  posts  as  they  should?" 

Mr.  Crane,  with  one  wave  of  his  hand,  swept 
away  every  objection. 

"  That  is  all  nothing!"  he  cried. 

"Nothing!  howly  mother,  sir!  do  you  call  it 
nothing  for  Americans  to  be  knocked  down,  carried 
aboard  British  ships,  to  be  made  slaves,  to  be 
flogged  until  they  die,  and  shot  if  they  object?" 


288  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"  Oh,  those  are  all  senseless,  sensational  stories, 
told  for  effect. " 

"  But  I  say  they  are  true.  I  have  jist  returned 
from  nearly  four  years  service  on  a  British  man-o- 
war." 

"  But,  sir,  we  must  look  to  the  welfare  of  our 
country.  What  are  the  lives  of  a  few  sailors — 
common  fellows — compared  to  the  rich  commerce 
we  enjoy  with  England?  The  wealthy  men  of  New 
England  would  surely  be  ruined  by  war. " 

"  Ye  blackguard !  do  ye  set  up  the  riches  of  New 
England  against  the  life  of  men  because  they  are 
poor?" 

"  Certainly, "  answered  Mr.  Crane,  taking  a  cigar 
from  his  case,  lighting  it  and  proceeding  to  smoke. 
"  What  do  Drake  and  Smoot,  whom  I  represent, 
care  for  sailors  like  yourself?  Why,  if  England 
wants  such  wretches,  let  her  have  them.  We 
would  sell  them  by  the  hundred,  if  we  had  our 
way.  Caleb  Strong,  William  Palmer  and  Koger 
Griswold,  three  of  New  England's  leaders,  will 
never  allow  a  soldier  to  march  from  their  states  to 
fight  the  English — oh,  no!" 

Terrence  was  now  almost  beside  himself  with 
rage.  He  vividly  recalled  the  tyranny  of  Snipes, 
and  remembered  that  many  of  his  friends  were  still 
slaves  aboard  the  man-of-war.  His  cheek  flamed, 
and  his  eye  flashed.  Slowly  rising,  he  said: 


THE  PEACE  PARTY.  269 

"  Do  yez  set  up  yer  riches  aginst  the  poor  lads, 
better  than  yerself,  who  are  dyin'  by  the  hundreds 
in  British  slavery?  Do  ye?  Why,  ye  spalpeen, 
ye  have  no  more  heart  than  a  stone!" 

"  I  don't  believe  your  stories  in  the  first  place, 
sir,  and  I  don't  care  if  they  are  true  in  the  second. 
What  is  the  life  or  happiness  of  such  a  low  creature 
as  yourself  to  the  prosperity  of  Strong,  Palmer  or 
Griswold?  I  think  that  impudence  has  mounted 
its  topmost  round,  when  you  dare  enter  these  head- 
quarters. " 

"So  yer  for  peace?"  cried  Terrence,  his  eyes 
dancing. 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  I'm  for  war!"  and  with  this  he  struck 
Mr.  Crane  a  blow  between  his  eyes  which  smashed 
his  glasses,  lifted  him  from  the  chair  and  sent  him 
head  first  into  a  waste  basket.  When  Mr.  Crane 
recovered,  he  was  at  a  loss  for  awhile  to  tell  whether 
the  house  had  fallen  upon  him,  or  he  had  been 
struck  with  a  six  pounder.  Terrence  disappeared 
from  the  Continental  House,  and  on  the  next  day 
applied  at  the  white  house  to  see  the  president. 

"The  president's  engaged,"  said  the  servant. 
Next  day,  the  next,  and  the  next,  he  applied  for 
admission  and  was  always  met  with  the  same  story 
that  the  president  was  engaged,  until  Terrence 
began  to  believe  that  the  door  of  the  administration 


270  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

was  closed  to  him,  while  he  saw  members  of  con- 
gress constantly  admitted  to  the  inaccessible  man. 

At  last,  a  gentleman  who  had  witnessed  his  fre- 
quent calls,  suggested  that  he  send  his  card.  The 
Irishman  wrote: 

"  Terrence  Malone,  Irish  American,  late  im- 
pressed seaman  on  H.  B.  M.  ship  Macedonian." 

President  Madison  read  the  card  and  appointed 
a  meeting  with  Terrence,  and  at  the  hour  appointed 
the  Irishman  was  at  the  white  house.  A  servant 
told  him  he  would  have  to  wait  a  few  moments 
until  Mr.  Clay  and  Mr.  Calhoun  had  finished  a 
discussion  with  the  president.  Madison  finally 
decided  to  have  these  young  members  of  the  house 
hear  the  Irishman's  story,  and  he  was  sent  for. 
Terrence  found  himself  in  the  presence  of  two  of 
America's  greatest  statesmen,  Clay  and  Calhoun. 

"Are  you  the  prisident?"  he  asked  of  Mr. 
Madison. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  these  are  our  friends,  Mr.  Henry 
Clay,  speaker  of  the  house,  and  Mr.  John  C.  Cal- 
houn." 

"  Are  you  for  war  or  peace?"  asked  Terrence. 

Mr.  Madison,  smiling,  assured  him  they  would 
much  prefer  peace,  if  it  could  be  obtained  honor- 
ably, but  that  Great  Britain  would  have  to  make 
amends  for  some  of  the  wrongs  she  had  committed. 
He  urged  Terrence  to  give  a  detailed  account  of  his 


THE  PEACE  PARTY. 


271 


impressment  and  captivity.  He  did  so,  omitting 
nothing  from  the  time  he  was  captured  on  the 
schooner  bound  to  Baltimore  to  his  escape.  He 
was  summoned  a  day  or  two  later  before  a  com- 
mittee of  investigation,  and  nar- 
rated the  story  in  all  its  horrid 
details. 

The  indignation  against  the 
Peace  Party,  who,  in  the  face  of 
all  the  evidence,  would  protest 
against  war,  was  scarcely  less 
than  the  indignation  against  Great 
Britain.  The  governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts (Caleb  Strong),  of  New 
Hampshire  (William  Plumer)  and 
of  Connecticut  (Roger  Griswold),  refused  to  allow 
the  militia  of  their  respective  States  to  march 
to  the  northern  frontier  on  the  requisition  of  the 
president  of  the  United  States.  They  justified 
their  course  with  the  plea  that  such  a  requisition 
was  unconstitutional,  and  that  the  war  was  unnec- 
essary. 

Terrence  had  frequent  interviews  with  the  presi- 
dent. His  audacity  and  his  intense  zeal  won  the 
admiration  of  President  Madison  and  his  cabinet, 
as  well  as  many  congressmen.  One  day,  while 
waiting  in  the  anteroom,  he  noticed  a  man  whose 
features  were  evidently  Hibernian. 


HENRY  CLAY. 


272 


SUSTAINED  HONOR. 


"  Do  yez  want  to  see  the  prisident?"  asked  Ter- 
rence. 

"To  be  sure;  but  I've  waited  long,"  he  an- 
swered, with  just  the  least  brogue  in  his  speech. 

"  Are  ye  f er  war  or  peace  ? " 
asked  Terrence,  leading  the 
stranger  into  a  far  corner.  The 
stranger  looked  the  young  Hi- 
bernian in  the  face  for  a  moment 
and  answered : 

"  I  am  not  an  American ;  but 
if  President  Madison  knew  what 
I  have  to  say,  he'd  give  me  an 
attentive  ear." 
JOHN  C.  CALHOUN.  Terrence  was  shrewd  enough 

to  read  the  face  of  the  stranger,  and  he  knew  he 
had  something  of  great  importance  to  communi- 
cate. 

"Do  yez   want   to  see   the    prisident,   really?" 
asked  young  Malone. 
"Certainly,  Ido." 

"  Lave  it  all  to  me, "  the  Irishman  answered. 
Then  he  explained  that  he  was  on  the  best  of 
terms  with  President  Madison  and  could  get  the 
ear  of  the  president,  when  an  audience  would  be 
denied  everybody  else.  He  urged  the  stranger  to 
give  him  an  intimation  of  his  business  with  Mr. 
Madison.  One  Irishman  will  nearly  always  trust 


THE  PEACE  PARTY. 


273 


another,  so  the  two  Hibernians  repaired  to  a  hotel 
and,  in  a  close  room,  the  stranger  told  Terrence 
that  his  name  was  John  Henry,  and  that  he  had 
lived  for  several  years  in  Canada.  lie  told  Ter- 
rence a  story  of  the  perfidy  and  treason  of  New 
Englanders,  which  produced  many  uncompliment- 
ary ejaculations  from  the  young  Irishman. 

Terrence  at  once  sent  a  note  to  President  Madi- 
son, in  which  he  hinted  that  he  had  new  and  strange 
developments  to  make.  Madison  again  admitted 
Terrence,  and  they  arranged  for  a  meeting  between 
the  president  and  Mr.  John  Henry,  who  had  a  letter 
from  Mr.  Elbridge  Gerry  of  Massachusetts. 

Late  on  a  stormy  night  in  February,  1812,  Ter- 
rence conducted  Henry  to  the  mansion  of  Presi- 
dent Madison.  But  little  was  done  at  this  first 
meeting.  Henry  said 
he  had  some  secrets 
to  divulge  which  were 
of  very  great  impor- 
tance to  the  people 
of  the  United  States. 
An  interview  was  ar- 
ranged for  the  next 
evening.  Again  Ter- 
rence  conducted 
Henry  to  the  presi- 
dent's mansion. 
18 

"LAVE  IT  ALL  TO  ME." 


274  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

On  the  way  he  said : 

"  Say  what  you  say  for  war.  I  want  to  meet 
Captain  Snipes  on  say  or  shore." 

When  they  were  closeted  in  the  president's  pri- 
vate office,  Mr.  Madison  asked : 

"  Now,  sir,  who  are  you,  and  what  is  your  busi- 
ness?" 

"  I'm  John  Henry,  an  Irishman,  sir, "  said  Henry. 
"  And  I  want  to  tell  you  that  for  two  years  efforts 
have  been  in  progress  on  the  part  of  British  au- 
thorities in  Canada,  sanctioned  by  the  home  gov- 
ernment, to  effect  a  separation  of  the  eastern  States 
from  the  Union,  and  attach  them  to  Great  Britain." 

"  Can  that  be  possible?"  cried  the  president.  It 
was  no  news  to  him ;  for  he  had  heard  the  rumor 
before;  yet  he  had  always  regarded  it  as  ground- 
less;— at  least  he  had  doubted  the  disloyalty  of  his 
opponents  in  the  East. 

"  It  is  every  word  true,  Mr.  President,  and  I 
have  the  very  best  proof  in  the  world  of  it. " 

"  What  proofs  have  you?" 

"Can  I  speak  freely?" 

"Certainly." 

"  Without  danger  of  arrest  or  imprisonment?" 

"You  can." 

With  this  assurance,  Henry  said : 

"  I  was  in  the  employ  of  Sir  James  Craig,  gov- 
ernor-general of  Canada,  in  1809,  as  a  British  spy 


THE  PEACE  PARTY.  275 

to  visit  Boston  and  ascertain  the  temper  of  the 
people  of  New  England. " 

"  You  did  so?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  What  was  the  temper  of  the  people  of  New 
England?" 

"  At  that  time,  sir,  they  seemed  to  be  in  a  state 
of  incipient  rebellion,  because  of  the  passage  of  the 
embargo  act.  I  was  satisfied  that  the  New  Eng- 
landers  were  ripe  for  revolt  and  separation. " 

"Well,  was  any  action  taken  on  your  report?" 
asked  the  president. 

"  No,  sir.  My  performances  in  the  matter  so 
pleased  Sir  James,  that  he  promised  to  give  me 
lucrative  employment  in  the  colonial  government; 
but  I  waited  and  waited  for  the  fulfillment  of  that 
promise,  and  in  the  meanwhile  Sir  James  died.  I 
went  to  England  last  year  to  seek  remuneration 
for  my  services  from  the  home  government.  I  was 
flattered  and  cajoled  for  awhile,  and  introduced 
into  the  highest  circles  of  society ;  but  what  did  I 
want  of  society?  I  wanted  money,  and  money  I 
must  have. " 

"  Did  they  not  pay  you  ?  " 

"  Not  a  cent. " 

"What  did  you  ask?" 

"  I  demanded  thirty  thousand  pounds  sterling 
and  not  a  farthing  less.  I  had  done  the  odious 


276  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

duty  of  a  spy  for  my  government.  I  had  risked 
my  fortune,  my  liberty  and  my  life  in  the  service 
of  England,  and  she  requited  me  with  empty 
promises. " 

"  They  made  you  no  offers?" 

"  None.  I  offered  to  take  a  lucrative  position 
in  Canada. " 

"  And  they  offered  you  none?" 

"  No.  At  last  they  seemed  to  grow  weary  with 
my  demands,  and  hinted  very  strongly  that  the 
disaffection  in  New  England  toward  the  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States  was  nothing  more  seri- 
ous than  a  local  partisan  feeling,  and,  as  a  polite 
way  of  dismissing  me  and  getting  rid  of  my  de- 
mand, they  referred  me  to  Sir  George  Prevost, 
the  successor  of  Sir  James  Craig. " 

"  And  have  you  called  on  Sir  George  ? "  asked 
Mr.  Madison,  coolly. 

"  No,  sir ;  I  have  had  enough  of  their  delaying 
and  dallying,  and  instead  of  sailing  for  Quebec,  I 
sailed  for  Boston,  determined,  if  the  government 
of  the  United  States  would  pay  me  for  it,  to  di- 
vulge the  whole  secret  of  British  perfidy  to  this 
government. " 

"  We'll  pay  ye,  won't  we,  Mi sther  Madison?"  put 
in  Terrence,  with  his  characteristic  impertinence. 

"  What  proofs  have  you  of  the  perfidy  of  Great 
Britain?"  asked  the  president. 


THE  PEACE  PARTY.  277 

"  I  have  letters,  sir,  and  official  documents  which 
would  make  any  honorable  man  blush." 

"  No  doubt  of  it,  yer  honor,"  put  in  Terrence. 

"  Have  you  those  papers  with  you,  Mr.  Henry  ?'r 
asked  the  careful  president. 

"  Some  of  them. " 

"  Will  you  produce  them,  so  I  may  judge  what 
they  are?" 

"  Yes,  the  prisident  and  mesilf  want  to  get  a 
squint  at  the  dockymints,"  put  in  Terrence. 

The  very  impertinence  of  Terrence  was  his  suc- 
cess. Mr.  Madison  could  not  repress  a  smile. 

Henry  laid  before  the  president  the  strong  docu- 
mentary evidence,  which  clearly  proved  that  Great 
Britain,  while  indulging  in  the  most  friendly  ex- 
pressions toward  the  United  States,  and  negotiating 
treaties,  was  secretly  engaged  in  efforts  to  destroy 
the  young  republic  of  the  West,  by  fomenting  dis- 
affection toward  it  among  a  portion  of  the  people, 
and  intriguing  with  disaffected  politicians  with  an 
expectation,  with  the  aid  of  British  arms,  to  be 
able  to  separate  New  England  from  the  Union  and 
re-annex  that  territory  to  the  British  dominions. 

Madison,  who  was  just  about  to  declare  war 
against  Great  Britain,  was  well  satisfied  of  the  im- 
portance of  Henry's  disclosures.  Examining  them 
carefully,  he  asked: 

"  What  do  you  ask  for  these  papers?" 


278  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"Lave  that  all  to  me,  Misther  Madison,"  said 
Terrence  with  an  earnestness  which  caused  the 
grave  Mr.  Madison  to  smile ;  but  Mr.  Madison  was 
not  inclined  to  leave  so  important  a  matter  with 
Terrence.  He  again  asked  Henry  how  much  he 
asked  for  those  papers. 

"  I  want  one  hundred  thousand  dollars. " 

"  It's  too  much,  Misther  Madison;  we  can't  give 
it,"  declared  Terrence. 

Madison,  glancing  at  the  impetuous  Irishman, 
said  that  he  could  not  pass  on  such  an  important 
matter  without  consulting  his  cabinet  and  taking 
their  advice  in  the  matter,  and  consequently  he 
dismissed  his  visitors  for  the  present,  assuring  Mr. 
Henry  that  he  would  give  the  matter  of  purchasing 
his  documents  serious  consideration,  and  in  the 
course  of  three  or  four  days  at  most  hold  another 
conference  with  them.  The  secret  service  fund 
was  at  the  disposal  of  the  president,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  purchase  the  documents  with  this  fund, 
if  his  cabinet  would  so  advise.  The  advice  was 
given,  and  he  sent  a  proposition  to  Henry,  offer- 
ing him  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  his  documents, 
which  consisted  chiefly  of  the  correspondence  of 
the  parties  to  the  affair  in  this  country  and  in 
England. 

Henry  accepted  the  offer  and  was  paid  the  sum 
for  his  papers. 


THE  PEACE  PARTY.  279 

Terrence  obtained  an  interview  with  the  presi- 
dent and  said : 

"  Misther  Madison,  why  the  divil  did  yez  pay 
him  such  a  price?  If  ye'd  'a'  left  it  all  to  me,  I'd 
won  the  papers  in  three  games  of  poker. " 

The  president  thanked  him  and  assured  him  that 
the  government  of  the  United  States  could  well 
afford  to  purchase  such  valuable  documents. 

"  And  now,  Misther  Madison,  I  am  about  to 
lave  ye  for  awhile, "  said  Terrence,  "  and  I  want  to 
ask  ye  a  very  important  question ! " 

"What  is  it?" 

"  Mind  ye,  if  ye  say  yes,  I'm  goin'  to  stand  by 
ye  through  thick  and  thin. "  Mr.  Madison  assured 
him  that  his  time  was  very  much  taken  up,  and 
begged  that  he  would  be  as  brief  as  possible. 

"  Are  ye  going  to  declare  war,  Misther  Madison? 
Now  ye  needn't  do  any  of  the  fighting  yersilf. 
All  I  ask  is  that  ye  just  turn  me  loose.  I've  got 
a  frind,  poor  Sukey,  who  is  still  on  board  the 
English  ship,  and  I  just  want  permission  to  go  and 
bring  him  back." 

President  Madison  assured  him  that  the  public 
would  be  notified  in  due  time  what  course  the  ad- 
ministration would  pursue,  and  that  it  was  his  in- 
tention to  maintain  the  honor  and  dignity  of  the 
nation  to  the  last  extremity. 

Terrence  left  the  president  and  went  over  to  the 


280  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Continental  House  to  see  how  Mr.  Crane,  the 
worthy  secretary,  looked  with  a  rotten  apple  band- 
aged over  each  eye.  Terrence  was  arrested  for 
assault  and  battery,  plead  guilty,  and  the  patriotic 
Democrats  took  up  a  collection  and  paid  his 
fine. 

The  disclosures  of  the  documents  procured  from 
Henry,  when  made  public,  intensified  the  indigna- 
tion of  the  Americans  against  Great  Britain.  The 
inhabitants  of  New  England  were  annoyed  by  the 
implied  disparagement  of  the  patriotism  of  their 
section  of  the  Union.  Both  parties  tried  to  make 
political  capital  out  of  the  affair.  The  Democrats 
vehemently  reiterated  the  charge  that  the  Federal- 
ists were  a  "British  party"  and  "  disunionists, " 
while  the  opposition  declared  it  was  only  a  politi- 
cal move  of  the  administration  to  damage  their 
party,  insure  the  re-election  of  Madison  in  the 
Autumn  of  1812,  and  offer  an  excuse  for  the  war. 
The  acrimony  caused  by  these  partisan  feelings  was 
at  its  height,  when  the  New  England  governors  re- 
fused to  send  their  militia  to  the  frontier;  and  the 
British  government,  in  declaring  the  blockade  of 
the  American  coast,  discriminated  in  favor  of  that 
section.  That  the  British,  mistaking  partisan  feel- 
ing for  unpatriotic  disaffection,  hoped  to  carry  out 
their  plan  for  disunion,  there  is  no  doubt;  but  the 
suspicion  that  the  New  England  people  contem- 


THE  PEACE  PARTY.  281 

plated  disunion  and  annexation  to  the  English  col- 
onies was  probably  without  foundation. 

Terrence  Malone  remained  in  Washington  City 
during  the  fierce  contest  between  the  Peace  Party 
and  the  War  Party.  He  was  a  constant  thorn  in 
the  side  of  the  peace  faction,  and  more  than  once 
came  to  blows  with  some  of  the  members.  When 
war  was  declared,  he  sent  the  word  to  president 
that  he  was  ready  to  set  out  at  once,  and  shortly 
after  took  command  of  a  privateer,  which  his 
father  fitted  out. 

While  New  England  was  halting  in  its  support 
of  the  war,  the  people  of  the  South  and  West 
were  alive  with  enthusiasm  in  favor  of  prosecuting 
it  with  sharp  and  decisive  vigor.  They  had  al- 
ready suffered  much  from  the  Indians  under  Brit- 
ish control,  and  the  massacre  at  Chicago  kindled  a 
flame  of  indignation  not  easily  to  be  controlled  by 
prudence. 

The  government  resolved  to  retrieve  the  disaster 
at  Detroit,  by  an  invasion  of  Canada  on  the  Niagara 
frontier.  For  this  purpose,  a  requisition  was  made 
upon  the  governor  of  New  York  for  the  militia  of 
that  State.  He  patriotically  responded  to  the  call, 
and  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  the  last  of  the  Pa- 
troons  and  a  patriotic  Federalist  retired  from  public 
life,  was  commissioned  a  major-general  and  placed 
in  command  of  the  militia.  The  forces  were  con- 


282  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

centrated  at  Lewiston  on  the  Niagara  River,  Platts- 
burgh  on  Lake  Champlain,  and  at  Greenebush,  op- 
posite Albany. 

The  British  had,  meanwhile,  assembled  a  con- 
siderable force  on  Queenstown  Heights,  opposite 
Lewiston.  At  midsummer,  hostile  demonstrations 
had  been  made  on  Lake  Ontario  and  on  the  St. 
Lawrence  frontier.  Both  parties  early  sought  to 
get  control  of  those  waters,  and  the  preparation  of 
armed  vessels  on  them  was  vigorously  begun. 

An  armistice  was  concluded  by  General  Dear- 
born. This  armistice  enabled  Brock  to  concentrate 
forces  at  Detroit  and  compel  Hull  to  surrender. 

On  the  morning  of  the  13th  of  October,  just  after 
a  heavy  storm,  Colonel  Soloman  Van  Rensselaer 
passed  over  the  river  near  Lewiston  with  less 
than  three  hundred  men.  They  routed  the  British 
there,  who  fled  toward  Lewiston  pursued  by  Cap- 
tain John  E.  Wool,  who,  though  wounded,  did 
not  relinquish  the  pursuit. 

General  Brock  and  his  staff  at  Fort  George  hast- 
ened to  the  scene,  but  were  compelled  to  fly,  not 
having  time  even  to  mount  their  horses.  In  a  few 
minutes,  the  American  flag  was  waving  over  the 
fort. 

Brock  rallied  his  forces  and,  with  fresh  troops, 
pressed  up  the  hill  after  the  Americans,  but,  after 
a  terrible  struggle,  was  driven  back  and  mortally 


THE  PEACE  PARTY.  283 

wounded.  General  Sheaffe,  who  succeeded  Brock, 
rallied  the  troops.  Only  two  hundred  and  forty 
Americans  were  on  the  heights.  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel (afterward  Major-General)  Winfield  Scott  had 
passed  over  the  river  to  act  as  a  volunteer.  At 
request  of  General  Wadsworth  he  took  active  com- 
mand. The  Americans,  reinforced  to  six  hundred, 
were  assailed  by  a  horde  of  Indians  under  John 
Brandt.  Scott  led  a  charge  against  them  and  drove 
them  to  the  woods;  but  overwhelming  forces  of 
British  poured  in  on  the  Americans,  and  Van 
Rensselaer,  who  had  gone  to  send  over  militia, 
found  they  would  not  cross  the  river,  their  excuse 
being  that  they  were  not  compelled  to  serve  out  of 
their  own  State. 

Overwhelming  numbers  compelled  the  Ameri- 
cans to  surrender.  All  the  prisoners  were  marched 
to  New  Ark,  where  Scott  came  near  having  an  en- 
counter with  two  Indian  chiefs. 

On  the  13th  of  October,  1812,  the  Americans 
lost,  in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners,  about  eleven 
hundred  men.  General  Van  Rensselaer  left  the 
service  in  disgust  and  was  succeeded  by  Alexander 
Smythe  of  Virginia,  who  accomplished  nothing  of 
importance  during  the  remainder  of  the  season. 
The  situation  of  the  Americans  at  the  close  of  1812 
was  this :  The  army  of  the  northwest  was  occupy- 
ing a  defensive  position  among  the  snows  of  the 


284  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

wilderness  on  the  banks  of  the  Maumee  River; 
the  army  of  the  centre,  under  General  Smythe, 
was  resting  on  the  defensive  on  the  Niagara  fron- 
tier, and  the  army  of  the  north,  under  General 
Bloomfield,  was  also  resting  on  the  defensive  at 
Plattsburgh. 

So  far,  the  advantages  had  been  altogether  with 
the  enemy,  who  were  no  more  gratified  than  the 
Peace  Party,  with  their  excellent  excuse  for  say- 
ing, "  I  told  you  so!" 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

FERNANDO    SEES    SERVICE. 

THE  trump  of  war  stirred  two  passions  in  the 
heart  of  Fernando  Stevens,  revenge  and  patriotism. 
One  was  a  noble  and  the  other  a  very  human  but 
ignoble  passion ;  but  Fernando  was  only  a  common 
mortal  with  mortal  weaknesses.  When  he  reflected 
on  the  wrongs  he  had  suffered ;  when  he  remem- 
bered the  death  of  poor  Boseley,  slain  to  gratify  the 
malice  of  Captain  Snipes,  and  poor  Sukey  still  the 
slave  of  the  British  monarch,  he  could  not  be  other 
than  revengeful. 

"Mother,"  he  said  one  day,  shortly  after  they 
had  heard  of  war.  "  I  am  going  to  enter  the  army. " 

The  mother,  who  was  plying  her  needle,  sat  for 
several  moments  in  silence.  She  was  not  sur- 
prised at  the  declaration.  For  several  days,  she 
had  watched  her  son  with  the  care  and  anxiety  of 
a  mother.  She  had  noted  that  he  read  the  papers 
regularly.  He  pored  over  any  news  which  hinted 
of  war  and  was  an  eager  listener  to  the  latest  rumor 
which  his  father  brought  from  town.  The  parents 

285 


286  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

had  talked  the  matter  over  frequently,  and  Captain 
Stevens,  himself  a  veteran,  said : 

"I  can't  blame  him;  no,  I  can't  blame  him. 
Poor  boy,  he  has  suffered  enough  to  know  the 
wrongs  done  to  our  flag. " 

"  But  would  it  be  for  the  flag,  or  revenge?"  said 
the  mother. 

"  Both,"  answered  the  practical  father.  "  He  is 
only  human,  wife,  and  human  hearts  can't  endure 
what  he  endured  without  human  resentment. " 

The  mother  hoped  it  was  more  patriotism  than 
revenge,  for  she  was  a  Christian  lady,  and  while 
war  might  be  proper,  even  for  Christian  people, 
she  thought  it  should  be  purely  a  conflict  of  prin- 
ciple and  not  of  revenge. 

"  Fernando, "  said  the  mother  laying  aside  her 
knitting  and  taking  off  her  glasses  and  wiping 
them,  "  do  you  really  mean  to  go?" 

"  Yes,  mother.  My  country  needs  my  services. 
There  are  thousands  of  unfortunate  Americans, 
still  in  bondage.  I  seem  to  hear  their  pitiful  cries 
calling  on  their  country  to  send  brave  men  to  their 
rescue. " 

"  I  have  expected  this, "  sighed  Mrs.  Stevens, 
and  tears  gathered  in  her  eyes. 

"  Mother,  would  you  have  me  stay?" 

It  was  hard  for  a  mother  to  say  it ;  but  she  had 
to  do  so.  She  was  patriotic,  and  she  answered : 


FERNANDO  SEES  SERVICE.  287 

"No." 

"  Then  I  will  go. " 

"  When?" 

"  They  are  beating  up  for  volunteers  at  town, 
and  I  am  going  there  to  enlist  in  a  day  or  two. 
First  I  must  help  father  drain  the  flat  and  clear  off 
a  few  timber  patches. " 

It  soon  became  rumored  all  over  the  neighbor- 
hood that  Fernando  was  going  to  enlist.  Many 
friends  came  to  see  him,  bid  him  good-by  and 
wish  him  God-speed.  The  day  before  he  went 
away,  he  was  chopping  wood,  when  he  saw  a  large 
man  riding  a  large  bay  mare  followed  by  a  large 
colt,  cross  the  old  bridge  a  few  hundred  paces  below 
and  ascend  the  hill  toward  the  house.  The  visitor 
was  Mr.  Winners.  He  had  grown  older  and  stouter, 
and  the  mare  was  older  and  heavier,  and  this  was 
her  fourth  colt  since  he  had  come  over  to  talk  with 
his  neighbor  about  sending  his  son  to  college  with 
Fernando.  The  kind,  good  face  of  the  old  farmer 
expressed  sadness,  and  his  eye,  always  dull,  seemed 
melancholy. 

He  rode  slowly  up  the  hill  to  where  Fernando 
was  chopping  wood.  Fernando  saw  him  coming 
and  laid  down  his  axe,  for  it  was  quite  evident 
that  Mr.  Winners  wanted  to  speak  with  him.  The 
old  man,  drawing  rein  close  by  Fernando,  said: 

"Mornin',  Fernando,  how's  all?" 


288  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"  We  are  all  well,  Mr.  Winners.  How  are 
yourself  and  family?" 

"  Oh,  we  are  just  middlin'  like." 

"  Won't  you  alight  and  come  into  the  house?" 

"  No;  I  ain't  got  time,  Fernando.  I  just  came 
to  see  you,  that's  all.  Fernando,  I  hear  as  how 
you're  goin'  t'  ther  war." 

"  I  am,  Mr.  Winners.  I  am  a  young  man  with 
no  wife  or  children.  My  country  just  now  stands 
in  need  of  young  men. " 

"  Ya-as,  it  does,  an'  I  don't  come  t'  blame  ye 
for  it, — mind  ye,  I  don't  blame  ye  fur  it.  I'm 
sometimes  tempted  to  go  myself,  old  as  I  am." 

"  No,  no,  Mr.  Winners,  there  is  no  occasion. 
Let  the  younger  men  do  the  service. " 

"I  don't  blame  ye,  for  goin',  Fernando;  but  I 
hope  ye  won't  furgit  one  thing. " 

"What?" 

"  My  Sukey's  on  t'other  side.  Now  that  fight-' 
in 's  begun,  he'll  have  to  fight  his  own  flag;  but 
he  won't  do  it  with  a  very  good  grace,  lem  me  tell 
ye.  No,  he  won't.  Now,  Fernando,  I  don't  want 
to  ask  ye  to  ease  down  on  the  British  a  bit ;  but 
when  ye  come  to  the  crowd  that  Sukey's  with, 
won't  ye  kind  a  shoot  easy?" 

Fernando  promised  to  do  all  he  could  to  aid 
Sukey  to  escape,  and  assured  him  that,  when  once 
he  was  free,  the  cruel  masters  should  pay  for  their 


FERNANDO  SEES  SERVICE.  289 

tyranny.  The  old  man  seemed  partially  satisfied, 
and,  as  be  rode  away,  he  twisted  himself  half  way 
round  in  the  saddle  to  ssy : 

"Now,  Fernando,  if  ye  meet  Sukey's  crowd,  I 
want  ye  to  remember  to  shoot  easy. " 

"  I  will  not  harm  Sukey,  if  I  can  help  it, "  Fer- 
nando answered.  Next  morning,  he  bade  his 
parents  farewell  and,  with  his  clothes  tied  up  in  a 
little  bundle,  set  out  on  his  way  to  the  town. 

A  flag  was  streaming  from  a  long  pole,  and 
Fernando  heard  the  roll  of  the  drum  and  the  shrill 
notes  of  a  fife.  The  company  was  more  than  half 
made  up  when  he  arrived.  He  enlisted  at  once 
and  four  days  later  the  company  was  ready  to 
march. 

As  yet  the  armies  of  the  United  States  were  not 
organized,  and  for  some  time  Captain  George  Rose 
was  at  a  loss  what  to  do  with  his  volunteers.  They 
were  riflemen,  ready  for  any  detached  service  to 
which  they  might  be  assigned.  The  militia  forces 
raised  were,  of  course,  to  serve  in  their  own  re- 
spective States;  but  the  volunteers  were  allowed  to 
attach  to  any  regiment  they  chose.  For  some  time, 
it  was  doubtful  whether  Captain  Rose  would  be 
sent  West  under  Hull  and  Harrison,  or  to  the 
North  to  act  under  General  Jacob  Brown. 

The  latter  course  was  at  last  decided  upon,  and 
they  hurried  to  the  northern  frontier  of  New  York. 
19 


290  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

But  small  preparations  had  been  made  for  the  de- 
fence of  this  portion  of  the  frontier.  From  Oswego 
to  Lake  St.  Francis,  an  expansion  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence, General  Brown's  forces  were  scattered.  The 
length  of  this  territory  was  about  two  hundred 
miles.  There  was  only  one  American  war-vessel 
(the  Oneida)  on  Lake  Ontario.  This  was  com- 
manded by  Lieutenant  Melancthon  Woolsey ;  while 
the  British,  in  anticipation  of  difficulties,  had  built 
at  Kingston,  at  the  foot  of  the  lake,  a  small  squad- 
ron of  light  vessel s-of- war.  Brown  and  Woolsey 
were  authorized  to  defend  the  frontier  from  inva- 
sion, but  not  to  act  on  the  offensive  except  in  cer- 
tain emergencies. 

About  the  20th  of  July,  Fernando' s  company 
joined  the  regiment  of  Colonel  Bellinger  at  Sackett's 
Harbor,  at  the  eastern  end  of  Lake  Ontario.  Nine 
days  later,  the  British  squadron  composed  of  the 
Royal  George,  24  guns,  Prince  Regent,  22  guns, 
Earl  of  Moira,  20  guns,  Simcoe,  12  guns,  and 
Seneca,,  4  guns,  appeared  and  bore  down  on  the 
American  forces  there.  Fernando  was  sleeping 
when  the  discovery  was  made,  but  was  soon  roused 
and  saw  soldiers  hauling  in  the  Oneida  so  as  to  lay 
her  broadside  to  the  approaching  enemy.  Colonel 
Bellinger's  militia  were  many  of  them  raw  recruits, 
and  the  approach  of  a  fleet  unnerved  a  few  of 
them ;  but  the  majority  were  cool  as  veterans. 


FERNANDO  SEES  SERVICE.  291 

"  Take  that  thirty -two  pound  gun  up  on  the 
bluff,"  commanded  the  colonel,  pointing  out  an 
old  iron  cannon  down  by  the  shore. 

Fernando  assisted  them  to  drag  it  to  the  rocky 
bluff,  and  the  whole  battery  was  placed  in  charge 
of  Captain  Vaughn,  a  sailing  master  in  the  navy. 
Slowly  the  fleet  bore  in,  the  Royal  George,  having 
the  heaviest  guns,  coming  ahead  of  the  others.  A 
wreath  of  smoke  curled  up  from  her  forecastle,  and 
a  ball,  skipping  over  the  water,  struck  the  sandy 
beach. 

Captain  Kose  and  his  company  of  riflemen  took 
up  their  station  on  the  high  bluff,  where,  should 
the  troops  attempt  to  land,  they  might  do  effective 
work.  Fernando  had  been  promoted  to  sergeant 
in  the  company  and  was  quite  popular  with  both 
officers  and  men. 

For  two  hours,  a  cannonade  between  the  Royal 
George  and  the  big  guns  on  shore  was  kept  up, 
with  very  little  effect,  when  a  32  pound  ball  from 
the  former  came  over  the  bluff  and  ploughed  a 
furrow  near  where  the  riflemen  were  standing. 
Fernando  ran  and  caught  up  the  ball  and,  running 
with  it  to  Captain  Vaughn,  said: 

"  Captain  Vaughn,  I've  been  playing  ball  with 
the  redcoats,  and  I  have  caught  them  out. " 

"  That  will  just  fit  our  gun,"  said  the  captain. 
"  Hand  it  to  the  gunner. " 


292  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Fernando  did  so.     The  gunner  said : 

"  Captain,  it  fits  better  than  our  own  balls.  The 
shot  we  have  been  firing  were  all  too  small." 

"  Send  it  back  to  them, "  said  Captain  Vaughn. 

The  gun  was  trained  and  fired.  The  heavy 
boom  rang  out  over  the  bluffs  and  water.  The 
ball  went  through  the  Royal  George  from  stern  to 
stem,  sending  splinters  as  high  as  her  mizzen  top- 
sail yard,  killing  fourteen  men  and  wounding 
eighteen. 

This  ended  the  bombardment.  The  squadron, 
alarmed,  sailed  out  of  the  harbor. 

Eight  merchant  schooners  were  at  Ogdensburg, 
being  converted  into  American  war  vessels,  and, 
immediately  after  being  repulsed  at  Sackett's  Har- 
bor, two  of  the  British  armed  vessels  started  to 
Ogdensburg  to  destroy  them.  The  American 
schooner  Julia  was  armed  and,  with  sixty  volun- 
teers from  the  Oneida  and  Fernando' s  company  of 
riflemen  in  a  boat,  set  out  to  overtake  the  British. 
They  caught  up  with  them  among  the  Thousand 
Islands,  on  the  31st  of  July,  fought  for  three  hours 
with  the  enemy,  and  then,  in  the  shadows  of  an 
intensely  dark  night,  relieved  occasionally  by 
flashes  of  lightning,  reached  Ogdensburg  in  safety 
before  morning. 

During  the  armistice  which  was  granted  shortly 
after  this,  the  Julia  and  her  consort  and  the  six 


FERNANDO  SEES  SERVICE.  293 

schooners  made  their  way  to  the  lake,  where  the 
latter  were  converted  into  vessels-of-war. 

On  the  8th  of  November,  Chauncey  appeared 
in  those  waters  with  a  fleet  of  seven  armed  war- 
schooriers  and,  after  a  short  cruise,  disabled  the 
Royal  George  and  blockaded  the  British  harbor  of 
Kingston.  Fernando,  meanwhile,  was  at  Ogdens- 
burg  under  General  Brown,  who  had  about  fifteen 
hundred  troops,  including  the  militia.  On  the  1st 
of  October,  the  very  day  of  General  Brown's  ar- 
rival, a  large  flotilla  of  British  bateaux,  escorted 
by  a  gun -boat,  appeared  at  Prescott,  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  river.  This  flotilla  contained  armed 
men,  who,  on  the  4th  of  October,  attempted  to 
cross  the  river  and  attack  Ogdensburg,  but  were 
repulsed  by  the  Americans.  Eight  days  later, 
Fernando  was  with  Major  G.  D.  Young  when  he 
captured  a  large  portion  of  a  British  detachment  at 
St.  Regis,  an  Indian  village  on  the  line  between 
the  United  States  and  Canada.  Fernando  was 
close  at  the  side  of  Lieutenant  William  L.  Marcy 
(afterward  governor  of  New  York),  when  he  cap- 
tured a  British  flag,  the  first  trophy  of  the  kind 
taken  on  land  in  the  war. 

While  lying  at  Ogdensburg,  Fernando  heard  of 
the  daring  feat  of  Lieutenant  Jesse  Elliott,  who, 
with  a  picked  party  of  seamen  and  riflemen,  had 
at  Black  Rock,  under  the  British  heavy  guns,  cap- 


294  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

tared  the  war-schooner  Caledonia  and  burned  the 
Detroit.  While  these  many  stories  of  the  bravery 
of  Americans  were  thrilling  the  hearts  of  patriots, 
the  cowardice  of  the  pompous  General  Smythe  at 
Buffalo  caused  much  ridicule  and  humiliation. 

Despite  all  his  boasts  and  threats  to  invade 
Canada,  he  remained  on  American  soil.  He  was 
finally  dismissed  from  the  service,  and,  in  a  peti- 
tion to  congress  to  reinstate  him,  he  prayed  for 
permission  to  "  die  for  his  country. "  His  petition 
excited  much  ridicule,  and,  at  a  public  celebration 
of  Washington's  birthday,  a  wit  proposed  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"  General  Smythe's  petition  to  congress  to  die 
for  his  country.  May  it  be  ordered  that  the  prayer 
of  said  petition  be  granted!" 

Early  in  January,  1813,  Fernando  Stevens'  com- 
pany, being  Ohio  volunteers,  was  for  some  reason, 
he  never  knew  what,  transferred  to  the  army  of  the 
West.  General  William  H.  Harrison  had  succeeded 
Hull  in  command  of  this  army.  Historians  do  not 
accord  to  General  Harrison  the  distinction  of  great- 
ness, though  he  was  one  of  the  successful  generals 
of  the  last  war  with  England.  It  was  under  him 
that  first  victories  were  gained  over  the  British  in 
the  Northwest.  Though  his  name  goes  down  to 
posterity  connected  with  the  battle  of  the  Thames, 
Colonel  Kichard  M.  Johnson  was  the  real  hero  of 


FERNANDO  SEES  SERVICE.  295 

that  conflict.  Johnson's  Kentucky  riflemen  fought 
and  won  the  battle,  though  Harrison  received  the 
credit.  Harrison  was  even  more  honorably  re- 
membered for  his  Indian  wars,  and,  as  the  hero  of 
Tippecanoe,  gained  a  fast  hold  on  the  public  heart; 
but  Tippecanoe  was  only  a  skirmish  and,  viewed 
in  the  light  of  a  battle,  could  hardly  be  considered  a 
great  victory.  The  American  losses  were  probably 
as  great,  if  not  greater  than  the  Indians,  and  it  was 
only  an  accident  that  Harrison  was  not  surprised. 
Tippecanoe  was  fought  by  the  soldiers,  and  to  their 
coolness  and  courage  belonged  the  victory.  Criti- 
cally speaking,  General  Harrison  was  inferior  in 
military  genius  to  both  Jackson  and  Brown.  He 
wanted  the  terrible  energy,  the  almost  reckless 
bravery  which  characterized  these  two  leaders.  He 
belonged  to  a  different  school  altogether.  His  was 
a  policy  of  Fabius  rather  than  of  Marcellus,  and 
this  not  from  necessity  but  for  choice.  The  bent 
of  his  mind  was  to  be  prudent,  economic  of  means, 
willing  to  listen  to  advice,  a  very  excellent  quali- 
fication for  a  general  or  a  statesman. 

The  dispute  between  Harrison  and  Winchester 
had  been  settled  before  Captain  Rose  with  his 
company  reached  the  army  and  joined  General 
Winchester,  then  on  his  march  to  the  Raisin,  Jan- 
uary 21,  1813.  As  Winchester's  volunteers  were 
mostly  Kentuckians,  Fernando  found  many  friends 


296  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

among  them.  Some  had  formerly  lived  in  Ohio. 
On  the  same  evening,  they  reached  Frenchtown, 
where  they  found  Colonel  Lewis,  who,  with  Allen 
and  six  hundred  men,  had  defeated  and  routed  a 
force  of  British  and  Indians  under  Major  Reynolds. 

The  troops  were  in  the  highest  spirits,  and  all 
were  anxious  to  press  on  to  drive  General  Proctor 
from  Maiden. 

The  day  had  been  cold,  and  Fernando  was 
wearied  with  long  marches  through  snow,  ice  and 
mud.  The  ground  was  covered  with  snow  which 
had  but  a  thin  frozen  crust  over  it,  and  the  soldiers 
frequently  broke  through,  especially  in  the  swampy 
regions  they  crossed.  Their  second  lieutenant 
was  sick;  the  first  lieutenant,  being  wounded,  was 
left  behind,  and  the  management  of  the  company 
fell  upon  Captain  Eose  and  his  orderly  sergeant, 
Fernando  Stevens. 

Captain  Rose,  though  a  brave  man,  loved  his 
ease  and  comfort,  so  the  most  irksome  duty  fell 
upon  the  orderly.  He  saw  that  quarters  as  com- 
fortable as  were  possible  were  made  for  the  men. 
Boards,  canvas,  brush  and  everything  possible  to 
make  a  shelter  were  provided.  The  wintry  sky 
was  clear,  and  when  night  came  on  the  stars  came 
out  one  by  one.  The  moon  shone  on  the  snow- 
covered  earth,  so  soon  to  be  crimsoned  with  patri- 
otic blood. 


FERNANDO  SEES  SERVICE.  297 

Fernando  Stevens  and  Captain  Kose  were  quar- 
tered in  an  old  shed  building,  with  a  roaring  fire 
in  the  broad  fireplace.  Their  quarters  were  quite 
comfortable,  and,  after  having  made  all  the  nec- 
essary arrangements  for  the  company's  comfort, 
Fernando  partook  of  a  light  supper  and,  wrapping 
himself  in  a  blanket,  lay  down  on  the  left  side  of 
the  broad  fireplace  to  sleep.  Corporal  Mott  en- 
tered and  told  Captain  Kose,  who  sat  smoking  his 
pipe,  that  Colonels  Wells  and  Lewis  were  having 
some  trouble  about  their  positions. 

"Why  should  they  quarrel  over  that?"  asked 
Captain  Eose  taking  his  pipe  from  his  mouth. 

"  Wells,  who  is  colonel  of  regulars,  claims  to 
outrank  Lewis,  and  demands  to  be  posted  on  the 
right." 

"That's  in  an  open  field." 

"  Yes ;  Lewis  thinks  that,  in  case  of  an  attack, 
Wells  should  be  posted  in  some  gardens  on  the 
left." 

"  Lewis  knows  more  about  it  than  Wells  or 
Winchester  either, "  growled  Captain  Eose. 

"  Yes ;  but  Winchester  decided  in  favor  of 
Wells.  There  is  also  a  rumor  that  Proctor  is  on 
his  way  from  Maiden  to  attack  us. " 

"  I  hope  it  is  so, "  said  Captain  Eose.  "  If  he 
will  come  here  and  take  his  whipping  like  a  man, 
it  will  save  us  going  to  Maiden  to  give  it  to  him. " 


298  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Then  they  wondered  what  General  Harrison  was 
doing  and  when  they  would  join  him;  but  Fer- 
nando left  off  listening  to  their  conversation  and 
gazed  into  the  glowing  fire  before  which  he  lay 
stretched  on  his  blanket. 

His  mind  was  busy  with  his  own  sad  life.  All 
through  the  long  years  of  trying  events,  he  had 
never  forgotten  Morgianna.  Her  sweet  face  had 
haunted  him  while  a  slave  on  the  British  war-ship. 
In  the  camp,  or  on  the  battle  field,  she  was  ever 
near  him.  A  thousand  times  he  had  said  to  him- 
self: 

"  Oh,  why  can  I  not  forget  her?  Morgianna  is 
nothing  to  me.  No  doubt,  long  ere  this  she  has 
married  Lieutenant  Matson  and  is  happy.  May 
God  bless  her  in  her  happiness,  and  may  Heaven 
spare  her  husband." 

It  never  once  entered  his  mind  that  she  could 
possibly  care  for  him.  She  had  been  so  cool,  so 
careless,  and  seemed  so  unconcerned  on  the  night 
of  their  parting,  that  he  thought  she  must  be  glad 
that  he  was  away  and  had  ceased  to  annoy  her. 

Yet  her  face,  as  he  remembered  it  that  night, 
lying  gazing  into  the  fire,  half  asleep  and  half 
awake,  was  lovely,  and  she  was  blameless.  To 
him,  she  was  a  goddess  to  be  worshipped,  one  in- 
capable of  wrong.  If  she  had  rejected  him,  it  was 
right.  If  she  had  loved  the  lieutenant,  it  was 


FERNANDO  SEES  SERVICE.  299 

perfectly  right ;  yet  lie  could  not  crush  her  image 
out  of  his  heart.  It  was  indelibly  stamped  there, 
and  had  become  a  part  of  his  existence. 

The  bleak  northeast  wind  swept  through  the 
woods  and  howled  about  the  rude  shanty,  rattling 
the  boards  and  causing  the  sentries  to  shiver,  as 
they  drew  their  cloaks  about  their  shoulders. 
Fernando  felt  almost  comfortable  in  this  retreat, 
and  the  fire  burned  low,  still  giving  out  a  gener- 
ous heat. 

Two  officers  from  another  company  came  to  their 
quarters,  and  the  last  Fernando  remembered  was 
hearing  them  talking  of  the  disposition  of  the 
troops  and  the  probability  of  meeting  the  enemy 
and  sharing  the  glory  which  Lewis  and  Allen  had 
won  but  three  days  before. 

Their  voices  were  low  and  indistinct  and  finally 
became  mingled  with  his  dreams  of  the  past,  form- 
ing a  mass  of  events,  sights  and  sounds  which  at 
first  had  no  meaning.  At  last  the  scene  changed. 
The  officers  ceased  talking,  the  firelight  disappeared, 
and  his  dreaming  fancy,  which  had  been  struggling 
with  these  realities,  was  freed  to  take  what  course 
it  chose. 

He  was  once  more  on  the  sands  of  Mariana.  He 
saw  the  great  white  stone  house  on  the  hill  and  the 
form  of  Morgianna  descending  toward  the  seashore. 
He  knew  he  had  been  gone  for  years,  was  conscious 


300  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

that  their  parting  had  been  unpleasant,  and  yet  her 
appearance  seemed  to  inspire  his  heart  with  hope. 
The  sun's  golden  rays  fell  upon  the  bright,  fairy- 
like  being  as,  with  a  glad  smile  she  hastened  toward 
him. 

"  You  have  come  at  last, "  she  said,  with  a  happy 
smile.  "  I  have  waited  so  long,  oh,  so  long,  that 
I  feared  you  would  never  come. " 

"Morgianna!"  he  cried,  starting  forward  and 
clasping  her  in  his  arms.  "  Are  you  pleased  to 
see  me?" 

"  I  am  happy,  Fernando,  oh,  so  happy 

Then  he  was  partially  awakened  by  some  one 
throwing  logs  of  wood  on  the  fire,  and  he  had  an 
indistinct  impression  of  hearing  a  soldier  say : 

"  It's  four  o'clock  and  has  begun  to  snow  a  little. 
We'll  have  it  cold  as  blazes  by  morning." 

As  the  fire  roared,  and  the  wind  whistled  about 
their  miserable  barracks,  he  sank  away  into  dream- 
land again.  He  had  hardly  been  sufficiently 
awakened  to  break  the  thread  of  his  dreams.  His 
mind  however  was  disturbed  by  the  entrance  of 
the  officer,  and  though  he  wooed  back  the  gentle 
dream,  it  had  lost  much  of  its  charm  and  bright- 
ness. 

He  saw  Morgianna  no  longer  wreathed  in  sweet 
smiles;  her  face  was  expressive  of  distress  and 
agony.  The  joy  and  sunlight  had  given  place  to 


FERNANDO  SEES  SERVICE.  301 

sorrow  and  gloom.  What  had  occasioned  this 
change  ? 

"  Morgianna,  do  you  not  love  me?" 

She  bowed  her  head  and  wept. 

"  What  is  amiss?" 

She  pointed  to  her  once  beautiful  home,  and  he 
discovered  that  it  was  in  flames.  Painted  demons, 
whose  yells  seemed  to  make  the  earth  quake,  were 
dancing  about  the  blazing,  crackling  building. 
Then  wild  cheers  came  from  the  ocean,  with  the 
boom  of  a  cannon. 

He  saw  British  marines,  headed  by  Captain 
Snipes  and  Lieutenant  Matson,  leap  from  boats 
and  rush  toward  them  as  they  stood  on  the  beach. 

"Fly!  Morgianna,  fly!"  he  cried. 

She  turned  to  run,  and  Fernando,  all  unarmed 
as  he  was,  wheeled  to  face  the  foe.  Suddenly 
there  came  a  rattling  crash  of  firearms.  He  saw 
Morgianna  throw  up  her  arms,  and  he  sprang 
toward  her,  as  she  fell  bleeding  at  his  feet.  He 
ottered  a  cry  of  horror  and  became  conscious  of 
some  one  shaking  his  shoulder. 

"  Wake  up,  for  Heaven  sake,  awake !  we  are 
attacked!"  cried  the  voice  of  Captain  Rose. 

On  his  ear,  there  still  came  a  confused  noise  of 
cries,  shouts,  reports  of  firearms  and  boom  of  ar- 
tillery. 

"  Sergeant  Stevens,  awake!" 


302  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

He  sprang  to  his  feet  and  seized  his  rifle.  The 
roaring  of  the  battle  could  be  plainly  heard,  and  a 
cannon-ball  came  crashing  through  the  top  of  their 
miserable  shanty. 

They  leaped  out  to  find  all  in  utter  confusion. 
General  Winchester,  who,  despite  his  faults,  was 
no  coward,  was  mounted  on  his  horse  rallying  his 
men  at  every  point.  Wells  was  forming  on  the 
open  fields,  and  Lewis,  in  a  very  disadvantageous 
position,  was  making  a  strong  fight.  It  was  scarcely 
daylight  yet.  The  air  was  sharp  and  frosty ;  but  the 
snow  had  ceased  falling.  Day  was  dawning ;  but 
in  the  deeper  shadows  of  the  wood  the  night  lin- 
gered in  patches. 

From  the  forest  came  those  streams  of  fire,  those 
storms  of  grape-shot  and  the  yells  of  savage  de- 
mons. A  bomb-shell  came  screaming  through  the 
air  and  fell  into  one  of  the  shanties,  exploding  and 
scattering  the  loose  boards  in  every  direction. 

"Who  has  attacked  us?"  some  of  the  officers 
asked  Winchester. 

"  Proctor  from  Maiden, "  was  the  answer. 

It  was  just  as  day  began  to  dawn,  that  Proctor, 
with  his  combined  force  of  British,  Canadians  and 
Indians,  attacked  the  Americans,  while  Fernando 
was  still  lost  in  the  mazes  of  a  troubled  dream. 
With  his  right  covered  with  artillery,  and  his  flanks 
with  marksmen,  Proctor  advanced  at  first  gallantly ; 


FERNANDO  SEES  SERVICE.  303 

but  when  he  approached  within  musket-shot  of  the 
pickets,  he  was  met  by  such  a  galling  and  incessant 
fire,  that  the  centre  of  his  army  fell  back  in  con- 
fusion. On  the  left,  however,  he  was  more  suc- 
cessful. Perceiving  the  exposed  situation  of  the 
detachment  under  Wells,  Proctor  hastened  to  con- 
centrate all  his  forces  against  it.  A  furious  con- 
flict ensued  on  this  part  of  the  field.  Sharp  and 
rapid  volleys  followed  in  quick  succession  from 
either  side,  while  high  and  clear  above  the  terrible 
din  of  battle,  rose  the  war-whoop  of  savages  and 
the  wild  cheers  of  the  Kentuckians.  That  little 
band,  unprotected  as  it  was,  could  not  long  hold 
out  against  overwhelming  numbers.  The  sun  rose 
over  the  bleak  woods,  and,  after  a  short  fight  of 
twenty  minutes,  Winchester  ordered  Wells  to  fall 
back  and  gain  the  enclosures  of  Lewis. 

At  the  first  symptom  of  retreat,  the  enemy  re- 
doubled their  exertions  and  pressed  so  obstinately 
on  the  Americans,  that  the  little  line  was  soon 
thrown  into  disorder.  A  panic  seized  the  Kentuck- 
ians, who  had  just  defended  themselves  so  bravely, 
and  mistaking  the  command  to  fall  back,  for  direc- 
tions to  retreat,  they  rushed  to  the  river,  which  they 
crossed  on  the  ice,  and  began  to  fly  through  the 
woods,  in  the  direction  of  the  Maumee  Rapids. 
Exhilarated  by  victory,  the  British  gave  pursuit, 
the  chase  being  led  by  the  savages,  who  tasted,  in 


304  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

anticipation,  the  blood  of  the  fugitives.  In  vain 
Winchester,  riding  among  the  men,  endeavored  to 
rally  them;  in  vain  Colonels  Lewis  and  Allen, 
hurrying  from  their  enclosures  with  a  company  of 
fifty  men  each,  struggled  to  check  the  torrent  of 
defeat.  Nothing  would  avail.  Allen  fell,  bravely 
fighting  in  the  desperate  attempt;  while  Winches- 
ter, with  Lewis  and  other  officers  were  taken  pris- 
oners. The  rout  now  became  a  massacre.  The 
Indians,  like  hungry  tigers,  pursued  the  soldiers 
and  brought  them  down  with  rifle  or  tomahawk. 
Of  the  whole  of  that  chivalrous  band  which  had 
left  the  Eaisin  with  Winchester  two  days  before, 
all  were  slaughtered  except  forty  who  were  taken 
prisoners  and  twenty-eight  who  escaped.  The 
troops  at  Frenchtown,  about  six  hundred  able- 
bodied  men,  surrendered.  Sixty-four  wounded 
prisoners  were  burned  in  a  house. 

Why  dwell  on  the  horrors  of  the  Eiver  Eaisin? 
They  are  matters  of  history  which  had  better  be 
forgotten  than  remembered.  Fernando  Stevens' 
company  did  excellent  work  until  the  retreat  began. 
Captain  Eose,  with  his  sharp-shooters,  sought  to 
cover  the  retreat  of  the  Americans,  but  discovered 
that  they  were  about  to  be  flanked. 

"Sergeant,  Sergeant!"  cried  Captain  Eose,  "we 
must  fly!" 

The  two  officers  were  almost  alone  on  the  field ; 


FERNANDO  SEES  SERVICE.  305 

but,  taking  to  their  heels,  they  soon  outstripped 
three  big  Indians  who  were  trying  to  head  them 
off.  Fernando  shot  one  of  the  savages  with  his 
pistol  and,  dodging  the  hatchets  which  the  others 
threw  at  him,  charged  them  with  his  clubbed  rifle 
and  knocked  one  down.  The  other  fled.  Fer- 
nando did  not  attempt  to  pursue  him,  but  flew  as 
fast  as  his  legs  could  carry  him  to  the  river. 

He  had  reached  the  middle  of  the  frozen  stream, 
which  was  covered  with  ghastly  forms,  when  Cap- 
tain Eose  suddenly  clasped  his  hand  to  his  side  and 
uttered  a  groan. 

"  Captain,  are  you  hit?"  he  asked. 

Captain  Rose  made  no  answer,  but  turned  par- 
tially around.  His  eyes  were  closed ;  his  jaw  fell, 
and  Fernando  saw  he  was  sinking.  He  caught  him 
in  his  arms ;  but  Captain  Eose  was  dead  before  he 
touched  the  ice. 

There  was  no  time  to  waste  with  dead  friends, 
and  Fernando  fled  to  the  wood  beyond. 

For  a  long  time,  the  Indians  were  close  at  his 
heels.  Once  they  were  so  near  that  he  heard  a 
tomahawk  as  it  came  fluttering  through  the  air  past 
his  head.  Then  the  sounds  of  pursuit  grew  less, 
and  at  last  he  found  himself  alone  on  a  hill.  Three 
Indians  were  following  on  his  trail,  and  he  con- 
cealed himself  behind  a  tree  until  they  were  within 
range  of  his  rifle,  and  then  fired. 


306  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

One  of  them  fell,  and  his  companions  ran  away. 

Fernando  continued  his  flight  until  nearly  night, 
when  he  fell  in  with  four  Kentuckians,  who  had 
escaped  the  massacre,  and  they  proceeded  to  the 
Maumee  Rapids,  where  General  Harrison  was 
building  Fort  Meigs. 

Fernando  was  in  the  fort  when  it  was  besieged 
several  weeks  later  by  Proctor  and  Tecumseh  with 
fully  two  thousand  men.  General  Clay  coming 
to  his  assistance  on  the  5th  of  May,  Proctor  re- 
treated. 

Colonel  Dudley  made  a  sortie  from  Fort  Meigs 
on  the  same  day  and  was  drawn  into  an  ambus- 
cade. He  was  mortally  wounded  and  lost  six 
hundred  and  fifty  men. 

Mr.  Madison,  who  had  been  re-elected  president 
of  the  United  States,  showed  a  disposition  to  prose- 
cute the  war  with  great  vigor.  While  the  success 
of  the  Americans  on  land  was  not  very  encourag- 
ing, to  the  surprise  of  everybody,  their  greatest 
achievements  were  on  water.  England's  boasted 
navies  seemed  to  have  become  second  to  the 
American  war-vessels.  On  Lake  Erie,  Commodore 
Oliver  Perry,  in  command  of  an  inferior  fleet,  had 
won  a  signal  victory  over  Commodore  Barclay 
after  a  long  and  hotly  contested  battle.  There 
has  never  been  such  a  remarkable  naval  victory  on 
fresh  water.  Perry's  famous  dispatch  to  General 


FERNANDO  SEES  SERVICE. 


307 


Harrison,  "  We  have  met  the  enemy  and  they  are 
ours, "  has  become  a  proverb. 

Shortly  after  the  repulse  of  Proctor,  Fernando, 
who  had  taken  a  place  in  another  company,  was 
sent  to  Fort  Stephen  son,  then  com- 
manded by  Major  George  Croghan, 
a  regular  army  officer  only  twenty- 
one  years  of  age.  Proctor's  dusky 
allies  marched  across  the  country  to 
assist  the  British  in  the  siege  of  the 
fort;  and  when,  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  31st,  the  British  transports 
and  gunboats  appeared  at  a  turn  in 
the  river  a  mile  from  the  fort,  the 
woods  were  swarming  with  Indians. 

Within  the  fort,  all  were  calm,  pale,  yet  deter- 
mined. Only  one  hundred  and  sixty  men  were 
there  to  oppose  the  hosts  of  Proctor  and  Tecumseh. 
Proctor  sent  a  demand  to  the  fort  for  surrender, 
accompanied  by  the  usual  threat  of  massacre  by 
the  Indians  in  case  of  refusal.  To  his  surprise, 
Major  Croghan  sent  a  defiant  refusal.  A  cannon- 
ade from  the  gunboats  and  howitzers  which  the 
British  had  landed  commenced. 

All  night  long  the  great  guns  played  upon  the 
fort  without  any  serious  effect,  occasionally  an- 
swered by  the  solitary  six-pound  cannon  of  the 
garrison,  which  was  rapidly  shifted  from  one  block 


JAMES  MADISON. 


308  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

house  to  another,  to  give  the  impression  that  the 
fort  was  armed  with  several  guns.  During  the 
night,  the  British  dragged  three  six-pound  cannon 
to  a  point  higher  than  the  fort  to  open  on  it  in  the 
morning. 

It  was  a  trying  night  for  Fernando.  All  night 
long,  the  incessant  thunder  of  cannon  shook  the 
air,  and  the  great  balls,  striking  the  sides  of  the 
earthworks,  or  bursting  over  their  heads,  presented 
a  scene  grand  but  awful. 

Morning  came  slowly  and  wearily  to  the  besieged. 
As  the  gray  dawn  melted  into  the  rosy  hues  of 
sunrise,  many  a  brave  man  within  that  fort  looked 
up  for  the  last  time,  as  he  thought,  but  still  with 
no  unmanly  fear,  only  with  that  sad  feeling  which 
the  boldest  will  experience  when  he  sees  himself 
about  to  be  immolated.  Such  a  feeling,  perhaps, 
crossed  the  heart  of  Leonidas,  when  he  fastened  on 
his  buckler  and  waited  for  the  Persian  thousands. 
Fernando  stood  near  Croghan,  who  was  in  front  of 
his  men,  calm  in  that  hour  of  extreme  peril.  It 
soon  became  apparent  that  the  enemy  did  not  in- 
tend an  immediate  assault,  for,  with  the  battery 
of  six  pieces,  they  began  a  fearful  cannonade. 

"  Lie  under  the  breastworks, "  said  Croghan  to 
his  men  as  the  balls  were  hurled  about  the  fort, 
or  bounded  from  the  ramparts.  The  surface  of 
the  ground  in  the  line  of  fire,  soon  became  covered 


FERNANDO  SEES  SERVICE.  309 

with  smoke,  which  every  few  moments  was  rent 
by  a  whistling  ball. 

All  that  long  forenoon  Fernando  Stevens  re- 
mained behind  the  works  occasionally  picking  off 
a  gunner  at  long  range.  When  the  hot  August 
sun  began  to  decline  in  the  West,  the  roar  of  artil- 
lery seemed  to  increase  rather  than  diminish.  At 
last  he  heard  the  young  commander  say : 

"  They  are  concentrating  on  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  fort;  that  is  the  point  from  which  the  at- 
tack will  be  made."  He  called  to  Fernando  and  a 
dozen  other  sharpshooters  and  hastened  to  the 
threatened  spot.  Every  man  who  could  be  spared 
from  other  quarters  was  put  in  requisition,  and 
every  bag  of  sand  and  flour  that  could  be  found 
was  hurriedly  collected  and  sent  to  strengthen  the 
angle. 

"Lieutenant  Stevens,"  said  Major  Croghan, 
"  Set  y°ur  riflemen  together  and  pick  off  those 
fellows  as  fast  as  you  can.  Never  mind  those  bags 
of  sand.  Others  will  attend  to  them." 

Fernando  and  his  score  of  sharpshooters  soon 
began  dropping  the  redcoats  as  fast  as  they  could 
see  them.  The  solitary  cannon,  the  only  hope  of 
the  defenders,  was  loaded  to  its  fullest  capacity 
and  trained  so  as  to  enfilade  the  enemy.  The  gun- 
ner who  rammed  home  the  charge  said : 

"  By  thunder,  she's  almost  full  to  the  muzzle. 


310  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Shouldn't  wonder  if  she'd  bust."  Each  soldier 
took  his  position.  A  tremendous  volley  of  cannon 
shots  suddenly  rained  on  the  fort.  It  seemed  as 
if  the  British  had  fired  every  gun  at  the  same  in- 
stant. A  profound  silence  succeeded  within,  which 
lasted  for  perhaps  two  minutes,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  the  enemy  was  seen  to  advance  through  the 
smoke,  in  one  compact  column,  with  the  steady 
tread  of  assured  victors.  When  Croghan  gave  the 
order  to  fire,  such  a  withering  volley  was  poured 
in  by  the  garrison,  that  the  British  reeled  and  fell 
into  disorder.  Whatever  others  may  have  done  in 
that  fire,  Fernando's  sharpshooters  wasted  no  bul- 
lets. For  a  moment,  the  Britons  wavered  and  were 
about  to  fly,  when  Lieutenant-Colonel  Short,  who 
led  the  British  in  assault,  sprang  to  the  front  of 
his  soldiers  and,  waving  his  sword  above  his  head, 
cried : 

"  Cut  away  the  pickets,  my  brave  boys,  and  show 
the  d — d  Yankees  no  quarter ! " 

A  wild,  angry  shout  answered  this  appeal,  and 
the  ranks  recovering  their  order,  the  head  of  the 
column  rushed  forward,  and  leaped  down  into  the 
ditch,  which  was  soon  densely  crowded.  This  was 
the  time  for  which  Croghan  had  waited.  Another 
minute  and  the  fort  would  have  been  captured. 
The  over-loaded  six-pounder,  so  trained  as  to  rake 
the  assailants,  now  bore  fully  on  the  masses  of  sol- 


FERNANDO  SEES  SERVICE.  311 

diery  in  the  ditch.  The  dark  mask  which  had 
concealed  it  was  suddenly  jerked  aside,  and  Croghan 
cried: 

"Fire!" 

The  match  was  applied.  A  clap  of  thunder,  a 
sheet  of  flame,  a  hissing  sound  of  grape,  shrieks 
and  groans,  and  Fernando  saw  whole  ranks  mowed 
down,  as  the  white  smoke  arose  for  a  moment  hid- 
ing the  prospect  from  view.  When  the  veil  of 
battle  blew  aside,  he  saw  such  a  scene  of  horror  as 
he  had  never  before  witnessed.  At  first  a  lane  was 
perceptible  extending  through  the  densest  portion 
of  the  assaulting  mass,  marking  the  path  traversed 
by  the  shot;  but  as  the  distance  from  the  gun  in- 
creased, and  the  grape  scattered,  this  clearly  de- 
fined line  gave  place  to  a  prospect  of  the  wildest 
confusion.  One  third  of  those  who  had  entered 
the  ditch  lay  there  a  shapeless,  quivering  mass. 
In  many  instances,  the  dead  had  fallen  on  the 
wounded,  and  as  the  latter  struggled  to  extricate 
themselves,  the  scene  resembled  that  depicted  in 
old  paintings  of  the  final  judgment,  where  fiends 
and  men  wrestle  in  horrible  contortions.  Groans, 
shrieks  and  curses  more  terrible  than  all  rose 
from  that  Golgotha.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Short  was 
among  the  slain.  The  few  who  retained  life  and 
strength,  after  the  first  second  of  amazement,  rushed 
from  the  post  of  peril,  leaped  wildly  upon  the  bank, 


312  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

and,  communicating  their  terror  to  the  rest  of  the 
column,  the  whole  took  flight  and  buried  itself  in 
the  neighboring  woods;  while  such  a  shout  went 
up  to  heaven  from  the  conquerors  as  had  never 
been  heard  on  that  wild  shore  before.  Well  might 
the  Americans  exult,  for  the  successful  resistance 
was  against  ten  times  their  own  number.  The 
British  loss  was  one  hundred  and  fifty.  That  hot 
day,  August  2,  1813,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, George  Croghan  by  one  cannon-shot  immortal- 
ized himself. 

Fernando  Stevens  had  been  under  a  terrible  strain 
all  the  day  and  the  night  be%>re,  and  no  sooner 
was  the  enemy  gone,  than  he  sank  exhausted  on 
the  ground  with  scores  of  others. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

ON    LAND. 

SHORTLY  after  the  gallant  and  successful  defence 
of  Fort  Stephenson,  Fernando,  with  a  detached 
squad  of  twenty  riflemen,  joined  General  Harri- 
son, and  was  subsequently  assigned  to  the  regiment 
of  Colonel  Richard  M.  Johnson,  whose  Kentuckians 
won  the  battle  of  the  Thames. 

After  his  signal  defeat  at  P\>rt  Stephenson,  Proc- 
tor with  his  British  troops  returned  to  Maiden  by 
water,  while  Tecumseh  with  his  followers  passed 
over  by  land,  round  the  head  of  Lake  Erie,  and 
joined  him  at  that  point.  Discouraged  by  want  of 
success,  and  having  lost  all  confidence  in  General 
Proctor,  Tecumseh  seriously  meditated  a  with- 
drawal from  the  contest,  but  was  induced  by  Proc- 
tor to  remain. 

From  a  distant  shore,  Tecumseh  witnessed 
Perry's  wonderful  naval  battle;  but  of  course 
could  not  determine  which  had  been  victorious. 
Proctor,  to  reconcile  the  chief,  said : 

"  My  fleet  has  whipped  the  Americans;  but  the 
313 


314 


SUSTAINED  HONOR. 


vessels  being  much  injured,  have  gone  into  Put-in 
Bay  to  refit  and  will  be  here  in  a  few  days. " 

This  base  falsehood  did  not  deceive  the  wily 
Indian.  The  sagacious  eye  of  Tecumseh  soon  per- 
ceived indications  of  a  retreat.  He 
finally  demanded,  in  the  name  of 
the  Indians  under  his  command,  to 
be  heard,  and  on  September  18, 
1813,  delivered  to  Proctor,  as  the 
representative  of  their  great  father, 
the  king,  the  following  speech : 

"  Father,  listen  to  your  children. 
You  have  them  now  all  before  you. 
The  war  before  this,  our  British 
father  gave  the  hatchet  to  his  red 
children,  when  our  old  chiefs  were  alive.  They  are 
now  dead.  In  that  war  our  father  was  thrown  on 
his  back  by  the  Americans,  and  our  father  took 
them  by  the  hand  without  our  knowledge,  and  we 
are  afraid  that  our  father  will  do  so  again  at  this 
time.  Summer  before  last,  when  I  came  forward 
with  my  red  brethren  and  was  ready  to  take  up 
the  hatchet  in  favor  of  our  British  father,  we  were 
told  not  to  be  in  a  hurry,  that  he  had  not  yet  de- 
termined to  fight  the  Americans.  Listen !  when 
war  was  declared,  our  father  stood  up  and  gave  us 
the  tomahawk,  and  told  us  that  he  was  ready  to 
strike  the  Americans ;  that  he  wanted  our  assist - 


TECUMSEH. 


ON  LAND.  315 

ance,  and  that  he  would  certainly  get  our  lands 
back  which  the  Americans  had  taken  from  us. 
Listen !  you  told  us  at  that  time,  to  bring  forward 
our  families  to  this  place,  and  we  did  so;  and  you 
promised  to  take  care  of  them,  and  they  should 
want  for  nothing,  while  the  men  would  go  and  fight 
the  enemy;  that  we  need  not  trouble  ourselves 
about  the  enemies'  garrisons ;  that  we  knew  nothing 
about  them,  and  that  our  father  would  attend  to 
that  part  of  the  business.  You  also  told  your  red 
children  that  you  should  take  good  care  of  your 
garrison  here,  which  made  our  hearts  glad.  Listen ! 
when  we  were  last  at  the  rapids,  it  is  true,  we  gave 
you  little  assistance.  It  is  hard  to  fight  people 
who  live  like  ground-hogs.  Father,  listen!  Our 
fleet  has  gone  out ;  we  know  they  have  fought ;  we 
have  heard  their  great  guns;  but  we  know  nothing 
of  what  has  happened  to  our  father  (Commodore 
Barclay)  with  one  arm. 

"  Our  ships  have  gone  one  way,  and  we  are  much 
astonished  to  see  our  father  tying  up  everything 
and  preparing  to  run  away  the  other,  without  let- 
ting his  red  children  know  what  his  intentions  are. 
You  always  told  us  to  remain  here  and  take  care 
of  our  lands ;  it  made  our  hearts  glad  to  hear  that 
was  your  wish.  Our  great  father,  the  king,  is  the 
head,  and  you  represent  him.  You  always  told  us 
you  would  never  draw  your  foot  off  British  ground ; 


316  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

but  now,  father,  we  see  that  you  are  drawing  back, 
and  we  are  sorry  to  see  our  father  doing  so  without 
seeing  the  enemy.  We  must  compare  your  con- 
duct to  a  fat  dog,  that  carries  its  tail  on  its  back, 
but  when  affrighted,  drops  it  between  its  legs  and 
runs  off.  Father,  listen !  the  Americans  have  not 
yet  defeated  us  by  land,  neither  are  we  sure  that 
they  have  done  so  by  water;  we,  therefore,  wish 
to  remain  here  and  fight  our  enemy,  should  they 
make  their  appearance.  If  they  defeat  us,  we  will 
then  retreat  with  our  father.  At  the  battle  of  the 
rapids,  the  Americans  certainly  defeated  us,  and 
when  we  returned  to  our  father's  fort  at  that  place,' 
the  gates  were  shut  against  us.  We  were  afraid 
that  it  would  now  be  the  case ;  but  instead  of  that, 
we  now  see  our  British  father  preparing  to  march 
out  of  his  garrison.  Father,  you  have  got  the  arms 
and  ammunition  which  our  great  father  sent  for  his 
red  children.  If  you  have  any  idea  of  going  away, 
give  them  to  us,  and  you  may  go  and  welcome, 
for  us.  Our  lives  are  in  the  hands  of  the  Great 
Spirit.  We  are  determined  to  defend  our  lands, 
and,  if  it  be  his  will,  we  wish  to  leave  our  bones 
upon  them. " 

Unless  the  unscrupulous  Proctor  was  utterly  lost 
to  shame,  his  cheek  must  have  burned  as  he  listened 
to  the  stinging  reproof  of  the  noble  Indian  Chief. 
Ever  since  the  white  men  began  their  political 


(XV  LAND.  317 

struggles  for  power  on  the  American  continent,  the 
unfortunate  Indian  has  been  their  tool,  and  their 
scapegoat.  Cheated,  deceived  by  falsehoods  and 
false  friends,  he  was  ever  thrust  forward  as  a  sacri- 
fice to  the  hatred  of  contending  white  men.  Span- 
ish, English  and  French  were  all  alike  equally 
guilty. 

Proctor  and  Tecumseh  fled  from  Maiden  at  the 
approach  of  the  Americans.  They  had  been  gone 
scarce  an  hour,  when  the  head  of  the  American 
column  appeared  playing  Yankee  Doodle. 

Fernando  Stevens  was  with  Colonel  Johnson's 
riflemen,  when,  on  the  29th  of  September,  they 
reached  Detroit,  while  Harrison  was  encamped  at 
Sandwich.  Informed  that  Proctor  and  Tecumseh 
were  flying  eastward  toward  the  Moravian  town  on 
the  river  Thames,  or  La  Tranche,  as  the  French 
called  the  stream,  eighty  miles  from  Detroit,  the 
American  forces,  about  thirty-five  hundred  strong, 
on  October  2,  1813,  began  pursuit.  Johnson's 
mounted  riflemen  led  the  van,  while  General  Selby, 
a  hero  of  King's  Mountain,  followed  with  his  Ken- 
tuckians,  eager  to  avenge  the  slaughter  of  their 
friends  at  Eiver  Raisin.  For  three  days  the  pur- 
suit continued.  At  last,  on  the  morning  of  the 
5th  of  October,  the  army  came  up  with  Proctor. 
Fernando  was  with  the  advance  guard  when  they 
came  on  a  small  party  of  Indians.  The  sharp 


318  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

crack  of  their  rifles  warned  the  armies  to  prepare 
for  action,  and  both  began  to  form. 

The  victory  which  followed  properly  belonged  to 
Johnson  and  his  mounted  Kentuckians,  though,  as 
historians  seldom  know  any  one  save  the  heads  of 
armies,  it  has  been  accorded  to  Harrison. 

Fernando  galloped  back  to  Colonel  Johnson  and 
informed  him  that  the  enemy  was  posted  on  a  nar- 
row strip  of  dry  land,  with  the  river  Thames  on 
the  left,  and  a  swamp  on  the  right.  Tecumseh, 
with  about  twelve  hundred  savages,  occupied  the 
extreme  right  on  the  eastern  margin  of  the  swamp. 
The  infantry,  eight  hundred  in  number,  were 
posted  between  the  river  and  swamp,  the  men 
drawn  up  in  open  order.  They  waited  for  Harri- 
son's orders  to  attack.  The  general  at  first  de- 
signed to  attack  with  infantry ;  but,  perceiving  the 
position  of  the  British  regulars  to  be  favorable  for 
a  charge,  he  turned  to  Johnson  and  asked : 

"  Will  you  undertake  it?" 

"  I  have  accustomed  my  men  to  it  from  the  first, " 
he  answered. 

"Then  charge!" 

Galloping  to  the  head  of  his  regiment,  Johnson 
said: 

"  My  brave  Kentucky  lads,  to  us  is  accorded  the 
honor  of  winning  this  battle.  Forward!"  The 
whole  cavalcade,  more  than  a  thousand  strong,  went 


ON  LAND.  319 

thundering  over  the  solid  plain.  In  the  whole 
range  of  modern  warfare,  perhaps  there  has  never 
been  a  charge  which,  for  reckless,  romantic  cour- 
age, could  compare  to  this.  The  Kentuckians  were 
armed  only  with  long- barrelled  rifles,  hatchets  and 
knives.  None  had  sabres,  so  essential  to  cavalry; 
few  had  pistols,  and  there  was  not  a  carbine  among 
them;  but,  as  Johnson  had  said,  they  were  accus- 
tomed to  those  charges  on  horseback,  and  could 
load  and  fire  those  long  rifles  with  marvellous  rapid- 
ity even  while  in  the  saddle.  Their  hatchets  and 
knives  were  as  deadly  as  the  sabre.  As  they  thun- 
dered down  on  the  enemy,  leaving  the  infantry  and 
General  Harrison  a  mile  behind,  Johnson  discov- 
ered that  the  ground  on  which  the  British  were 
drawn  was  too  narrow  for  his  whole  regiment  to 
charge  abreast,  so  he  divided  his  force,  sending  his 
brother  Lieutenant-Colonel  James  Johnson  with 
one  division,  against  the  regulars,  while  he  with 
the  other  turned  off  into  the  swamp,  and  fell  like 
a  tornado  upon  the  Indians  under  Tecumseh. 

Fernando  went  with  the  division  against  the 
British;  but  he  heard  the  splashing  of  mud  and 
water,  the  cracking  of  rifles  and  wild  shouts  of 
combatants,  as,  through  smoke,  spray,  mud  and 
low  bushes,  the  Kentuckians  under  Colonel  John- 
son charged  the  ambushed  Indians.  His  own  di- 
vision continued  galloping  forward,  until  they  were 


320  SUSTAINED  HOXOR. 

close  on  the  British,  who  opened  a  heavy  fire.  The 
fire  checked  them ;  but  Johnson  shouted : 

"Forward,  Kentuckians ! " 

Ashamed  of  their  momentary  hesitation,  the  men 
shook  their  bridles  and,  with  wild  huzzahs,  dashed 
right  through  the  enemy,  shooting  right  and  left. 
Wheeling  rapidly  about,  as  soon  as  the  British  line 
was  passed  the  Kentuckians  poured  in  a  destruc- 
tive volley  on  their  rear,  and  they  fled,  or  threw 
down  their  guns  and  cried  for  quarter,  which  was 
granted.  Proctor,  with  a  part  of  his  command, 
escaped,  leaving  his  carriage  and  papers. 

Fernando' s  horse  had  been  wounded  in  the 
shoulder,  and  as  he  dismounted  to  try  to  alleviate 
the  suffering  of  the  poor  beast,  he  heard  the  con- 
flict still  raging  on  his  right.  Colonel  Johnson 
with  his  half  of  the  Kentuckians  had  struck  Te- 
cumseh  and  was  routing  his  entire  force.  The 
Indians  fought  stubbornly  until  Tecumseh  fell, 
and  hearing  his  voice  no  longer  they  fled  in  con- 
fusion. A  complete  victory  was  gained  before 
General  Harrison  reached  the  field. 

Some  historians  of  good  authority  state  that 
Johnson  shot  Tecumseh  with  his  pistol,  just  as  his 
own  horse  fell  dead  under  him; — that  as  the  col- 
onel's horse  was  sinking  under  innumerable  wounds, 
he  discovered  a  large  Indian,  whose  regal  feathers 
denoted  his  rank,  coming  toward  him  with  uplifted 


ON  LAND.  321 

tomahawk.  Ho  drew  a  pistol  and  shot  him  through 
the  heart.  This  has  been  denied.* 

Fernando  accompanied  the  army  of  General  Har- 
rison to  Niagara  to  join  the  army  of  the  centre; 
but  Harrison,  becoming  offended  at  General  Arm- 
strong, secretary  of  war,  resigned  and  quit  the 
service.  Fernando  with  his  detached  party,  seven 
only  of  Captain  Rose's  original  company,  joined 
the  army  under  Gen.  Boyd  on  November  10th, 
1873,  was  with  them  on  the  next  day,  the  llth, 
when  they  fought  the  enemy  five  hours  at  Chrys- 
ler's farm  in  Canada.  The  Americans  were  driven 
from  the  field  with  a  loss  of  three  hundred  and 
thirty-nine. 

The  writer  must  pause  a  moment  to  mention 
some  of  the  stirring  incidents  in  which  Fernando 
did  not  participate.  On  March  4th,  1813,  Mr. 
Madison  was  inaugurated  for  his  second  term. 
Terrence,  who  chanced  to  be  in  Washington, 
greeted  the  president  with :  "Now  Misther  Prisi- 
dent,  we'll  whip  the  British  sure. " 

The  Emperor  of  Russia  having  offered  his  ser- 
vices as  mediator  between  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain,  the  president,  on  March  8th,  1813, 

*  Seventeen  years  ago  an  aged  man,  who  was  in  the  con- 
flict, informed  the  author  that  he  saw  Tecumseh  fall,  that 
he  was  shot  through  the  head  by  a  private  soldier ;  "a  big 
Kentuckian. " 
21 


322  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

appointed  commissioners  to  treat  for  peace.  On 
the  10th  of  April,  the  British  attacked  Lewiston, 
Delaware,  but  after  several  days  bombardment 
abandoned  the  siege.  On  April  27,  the  Ameri- 
cans under  General  Pike  besieged  upper  York  under 
General  Sheaffe.  The  British,  deserted  by  their 
Indian  allies,  who  fled  before  the  roar  of  artillery, 
took  post  with  the  garrison  near  the  governor's 
house  and  opened  a  fire  of  grape  and  round-shot 
on  the  invader.  The  battery  was  silenced  and  all 
thought  the  British  had  surrendered.  General  Pike 
was  sitting  on  the  stump  of  a  tree  talking  with  a 
captive  British  officer,  when  a  tremor  of  the  earth 
was  felt,  immediately  followed  by  a  tremendous 
explosion  near  by.  The  British,  unable  to  hold 
the  fort  had  fired  a  magazine  of  gunpowder  on  the 
edge  of  the  lake.  The  effect  was  terrible.  Frag- 
ments of  timber  and  huge  stones,  of  which  the 
magazine  walls  were  built,  were  scattered  in  every 
direction  over  a  space  of  several  hundred  feet. 
When  the  smoke  floated  away,  the  scene  was  ap- 
palling. Fifty-two  Americans  lay  dead,  and  one 
hundred  and  eighty  others  were  wounded.  Forty 
of  the  British  were  also  slain.  General  Pike,  two 
of  his  aides  and  the  captive  officer  were  mortally 
hurt.  The  dying  general  was  taken  to  one  of 
Chauncey's  vessels.  His  benumbed  ears  heard  the 
shout  of  victory,  when  the  British  ensign  was  pulled 


ON  LAND.  323 

down  at  York.  Just  before  he  died,  the  3aptured 
British  flag  was  brought  to  him.  He  smiled  and 
made  a  sign  for  it  to  be  placed  under  his  head. 
This  was  done,  and  he  expired.  Though  Sheaffe 
and  the  larger  part  of  his  force  escaped,  the  civil 
authorities  and  a  larger  part  of  the  militia  formally 
surrendered  York.  The  American  loss  in  killed 
and  wounded  was  two  hundred  and  eighty-six ;  the 
British  lost  one  hundred  and  forty  besides  pris- 
oners. 

On  May  27,  General  Scott  and  Commodore 
Perry  captured  Fort  George  at  Niagara,  and  at  the 
same  time  Sir  George  Prevost  was  repulsed  at 
Sackett's  Harbor,  New  York,  by  General  Brown. 
On  June  6th,  Generals  Chandler  and  Winder  were 
surprised  and  captured,  though  their  troops  retired. 
On  the  23d,  Colonel  Boerstler  with  six  hundred 
men  was  captured  at  Beaver  Dam  by  a  superior 
force  of  British. 

While  Perry  was  defeating  the  enemy  on  Lake 
Erie,  and  the  Johnson  brothers  were  defeating 
Proctor  and  slaying  Tecumseh,  the  discontent  which 
that  redoubtable  chief  had  stirred  up  in  the  South 
was  beginning  to  have  its  effect  among  the  Creeks. 
On  August  30,  1813,  they  attacked  Fort  Mimms, 
which  they  set  on  fire  and  captured,  massacring  all 
but  twenty  out  of  four  hundred  men,  women  and 
children.  The  British  agent  at  Pensacola,  it  is 


324  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

said,  had  offered  five  dollars  each  for  scalps,  and 
many  of  the  savages  carried  the  scalps  of  women 
and  children  there  to  claim  their  reward. 

A  cry  for  help  went  northward  and  the  brave 
Tennesseeans  flew  to  the  relief  of  their  neighbors. 
General  Andrew  Jackson,  military  commander  of 
that  region,  was  disabled  by  a  wound  received  from 
a  brilliant  but  brutal  ruffian  named  Thomas  H. 
Benton,  who  was  afterward  United  States  Senator 
from  Missouri. 

Late  in  September,  Colonel  John  Coffee,  at  the 
head  of  five  hundred  cavalry,  hurried  to  the  Creek 
frontier.  He  rendezvoused  at  Fayetteville,  where 
Jackson  joined  him  early  in  October.  On  the  3d, 
Coffee  attacked  the  Indians  at  Tallahatchee  (near 
Jacksonville,  Benton  county,  Alabama)  and  killed 
two  hundred  warriors ; — not  a  warrior  escaped.  On 
the  8th  of  November,  Jackson  defeated  the  Indians 
with  great  slaughter  at  Talladega.  Late  in  Novem- 
ber, General  Floyd  with  nine  hundred  Georgians 
and  four  hundred  friendly  Indians  attacked  the 
hostile  savages  at  Autossee  and  drove  them  from 
the  holy  ground. 

Weatherford,  the  Tecumseh  of  the  South,  was 
attacked,  on  the  23d  of  November,  at  Econachaca. 
Weatherford  was  defeated  and  escaped  by  leaping 
his  horse  from  a  precipice  into  the  river  and  swim- 
ming to  the  other  side. 


ON  LAND.  325 

On  January  21,  1814,  General  Jackson  was 
fiercely  attacked  by  the  Creeks  at  Emucfau  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Tallapoosa  Biver.  Though  he 
repulsed  the  Indians,  he  thought  it  best  to  retire 
from  the  field. 

The  Creeks  were  gathered  in  great  numbers  at 

o  o 

the  "  Horseshoe  Bend"  of  the  Tallapoosa.  A  strong 
breastwork,  composed  mostly  of  hickory  logs,  was 
built  across  the  neck  of  the  peninsula.  The  In- 
dians had  great  stores  of  provisions  and  supplies  at 
this  place. 

On  the  27th  of  March,  the  Americans,  led  by 
Sam  Houston,  stormed  this  fort  and  routed  the 
Indians,  whom  they  shot  down  like  wild  beasts. 
The  power  and  spirit  of  the  Creeks  was  broken, 
and  even  the  haughty  Weatherford  sued  for  peace. 
Save  the  trouble  caused  by  the  Spanish  and  Brit- 
ish, the  war  in  the  South  was  practically  ended. 

Fernando,  who  was  still  with  the  northern  army, 
had  been  shifted  about  so  much,  that  he-  had  re- 
ceived but  one  or  two  letters  from  home.  He  had 
participated  in  the  affair  at  Black  Rock,  had  seen 
Buffalo  burned,  and  while  lying  in  camp  near  the 
mins,  learned  of  the  ravages  of  the  enemy  on  the 
Delaware  and  Chesapeake  bays.  As  yet  the  Brit- 
ish, perhaps  out  of  respect  for  the  Peace  Party, 
had  done  little  damage  to  the  coast  of  New  Eng- 
land. Fernando  often  thought  of  the  Maryland 


326  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Coast,  of  Baltimore  and  Mariana,  and  wondered  if 
she  were  there  yet,  in  the  great,  white  stone  house 
on  the  hill. 

One  day,  about  March  1st,  1813,  he  received  a 
letter  from  his  mother.  It  was  the  first  news  from 
home  for  nearly  a  year,  for  the  facilities  for  fast 
mails  were  not  so  good  then  as  now. 

"  I  have  glorious  news  to  tell  you,  Fernando, " 
she  said,  among  other  things.  "  Your  friend  Sukey 
is  at  home.  His  ship  the  Macedonia  was  captured 
by  the  frigate  United  States.  He  says  if  he  can 
learn  where  you  are,  he  is  coming  to  you. " 

There  was  a  slip  of  paper  in  his  mother's  letter 
on  which  was  written  in  a  well-known  hand, 

"Fernando,  I  am  coming  soon,  for  I  am  in  the  game 
now.  SUKEY.  " 

Fernando  answered  the  letter,  saying  that  he  was 
soon  to  march  under  General  Wilkinson  into  Can- 
ada. A  few  days  later,  the  Americans  under 
Wilkinson  invaded  Canada  and,  on  March  30th, 
were  repulsed  at  La  Colle.  Fernando  returned  with 
others  to  the  American  side.  He  was  near  Os- 
wego,  New  York,  when  the  British  captured  and 
destroyed  it.  He  was  assigned  to  Brown's  com- 
mand and  was  with  it  in  the  capture  of  Fort  Erie, 
on  July  3d.  Fort  Erie  was  the  chief  impediment 
to  the  invasion  of  Canada. 


TIIEV  CAMK  TOI.KTIIKI:  IN  A\  KAKSK-T  sTitr«i<;i.K. 


ON  LAND.  327 

Prompt  measures  were  taken  to  secure  the  ad- 
vantages gained  by  this  victory ;  for  it  was  known 
that  General  Riall,  who  was  then  the  chief  com- 
mander of  the  British  on  the  frontier,  was  moving 
on  Fort  Erie.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  3d, 
learning  of  the  peril  of  the  fort,  he  sent  forward 
some  royal  Scots  to  reinforce  the  garrison.  At 
Chippewa  they  heard  of  the  fall  of  the  fort,  and 
Riall  determined  to  attack  the  Americans  next 
day.  To  meet  this  force,  General  Brown  sent  Gen- 
eral Scott  forward  with  Towsen's  artillery. 

At  noon  on  the  5th,  Scott  was  joined  by  Porter 
with  his  volunteers  and  Indians.  The  British  also 
were  reinforced.  Nearly  half  the  day  was  spent 
by  the  two  armies  feeling  of  each  other.  Skir- 
mishers were  deployed  and  an  occasional  shot  fired ; 
but  it  was  not  until  afternoon  that  they  came  to- 
gether in  an  earnest  struggle.  The  fight  was  long 
and  desperate ;  but  the  Americans  triumphed  and 
defeated  Riall  and  the  veterans  of  Wellington. 
They  lost  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  killed  and 
forty-six  missing,  while  the  Americans'  loss  was 
sixty  killed  and  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight 
wounded  and  missing. 

The  English  troops  in  that  portion  of  Canada 
hastened  to  concentrate.  On  the  25th  of  July, 
General  Brown,  being  informed  that  a  detachment 
of  the  enemy  had  invaded  American  soil,  hurried 


328  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

General  Scott  forward  to  attack  the  party  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Niagara,  hoping  by  this  division  to 
recall  the  foe.  General  Scott  at  the  head  of  thir- 
teen hundred  men  came  suddenly  across  a  superior 
force  at  Lundy's  Lane,  under  Generals  Drummond 
and  Riall.  A  desperate  conflict  ensued,  during 
which  General  Brown  arrived  at  dark,  and,  with- 
drawing Scott's  brigade,  the  fight  was  resumed. 
On  a  height  at  the  head  of  the  lane  the  enemy  had 
posted  a  battery.  General  Brown  asked  Colonel 
Miller  if  he  could  take  it. 

"I  will  try,"  he  answered. 

Amid  a  storm  of  grape,  canister  and  leaden 
balls,  the  battery  was  taken  and  victory  won. 
Several  unsuccessful  efforts  were  made  by  the  foe 
to  regain  this  elevation.  The  combat,  which  had 
begun  before  dark,  raged  until  midnight.  By  this 
time,  both  Generals  Brown  and  Scott  were  wounded 
and  forced  to  retire  from  the  field.  The  command 
now  devolved  on  General  Kipley.  The  enemy 
being  repulsed,  Ripley  concluded  to  retire  to  camp, 
whence,  after  refreshing  his  men,  he  was  directed 
to  march  by  daylight  and  engage  the  foe;  but, 
finding  the  enemy's  force  had  been  much  increased 
during  the  night,  Eipley  thought  it  advisable  to 
retreat,  and  accordingly  retired  to  Fort  Erie,  de- 
stroying the  bridges  as  he  went.  The  loss  of  the 
British  at  Lundy's  Lane  was  eighty-five  killed, 


ON  LAND.  329 

live  hundred  and  fifty-five  wounded  and  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty-four  missing.  The  American  loss 
in  killed,  wounded  and  missing  was  eight  hundred 
and  sixty. 

General  Eipley  used  every  exertion  to  strengthen 
Fort  Erie  before  the  enemy  should  arrive. 

At  midnight  during  the  battle  of  Lundy's  Lane, 
Fernando  Stevens  and  about  fifty  sharpshooters 
became  separated  from  the  American  army  in  the 
darkness,  and  at  dawn,  when  the  retreat  began  to 
Fort  Erie,  they  found  themselves  cut  off  by  the 
enemy.  Three  or  four  hundred  British  grenadiers 
were  sent  in  pursuit  of  them,  and  they  continued  to 
retreat  skirmishing  along  the  way  for  three  days, 
until  they  fell  in  with  some  New  York  militia  hur- 
rying to  the  southern  part  of  the  State.  There  was 
nothing  better  than  to  go  with  them.  Fernando 
was  chosen  captain  of  the  company,  and  recruits 
soon  swelled  his  numbers  to  a  hundred.  On  reach- 
ing New  York  he  reported  to  Brown,  for  being  a 
detached  company,  he  had  no  colonel  to  whom  he 
could  report.  Brown  had  received  orders  by  this 
time  to  send  all  forces  available  to  Washington, 
which  was  being  threatened  by  General  Ross,  and 
Fernando 's  riflemen  were  ordered  South.  The 
Americans  under  Ripley  were  besieged  at  Fort  Erie 
on  August  4th.  On  the  15th,  they  repulsed  the 
enemy  with  a  heavy  loss  (962  men) .  On  the  llth  of 


330  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

September,  Commodore  McDonough  of  the  Ameri- 
can navy  captured  the  British  fleet  under  Commo- 
dore Downie.  A  simultaneous  attack  on  Platts- 
burgh  by  Provost  miscarried  by  failure  of  the  fleet 
and  panic  of  the  soldiers.  On  the  17th,  a  sortie 
was  made  from  Fort  Erie,  and  the  British  works 
were  surprised  and  taken  with  a  loss  of  one  thou- 
sand to  the  enemy. 

The  New  England  coast,  which  had,  in  the  early 
part  of  the  war,  been  exempt  from  the  ravages  of 
the  English,  was  now  threatened.  England  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  New  Englanders  were 
blinding  them  with  professions  of  friendship,  in 
order  to  preserve  their  own  peace  and  prosperity. 
Despite  their  professed  objections  to  the  war,  New 
England  continually  sent  volunteers  to  the  aid  of 
the  country's  cause.  The  British  attacked  various 
points  on  the  New  England  coast.  At  Stonington, 
on  August  9,  1814,  they  were  repulsed.  Though 
Boston  was  threatened,  it  was  not  bombarded. 

Fernando  Stevens  with  over  one  hundred  men 
reached  Philadelphia,  where  he  found  two  regi- 
ments of  regulars  marching  to  Washington.  He 
accompanied  them.  The  second  day's  march  from 
Philadelphia,  they  were  overtaken  by  two  mounted 
men  dressed  in  citizen's  clothes,  who  inquired  for 
Captain  Stevens.  They  proved  to  be  Sukey  and 
Terrence. 


ON  LAND.  331 

"  I've  been  runnin'  all  over  creation  looking  for 
you,"  Sukey  declared.  "  How  can  you  skip  from 
one  side  o'  the  earth  to  the  other  as  easily  as  a  flea 
can  cross  a  hammock?  I  went  within  sixty  miles 
of  Fort  Erie  the  day  after  the  fight, — lost  you; — 
heard  you  were  in  New  York, — went  after  you, — 

»/  •/ 

lost  you;  heard  you  were  in  Philadelphia, — went 
there, — lost  you  and  found  Terrence.  We  sup- 
posed you  were  with  the  soldiers  and  came  after 
you." 

Terrence  had  just  returned  from  a  cruise;  and 
his  ship  Privateer  Tom  had  been  so  badly  damaged 
in  a  gale,  that  it  would  take  weeks  to  repair  her, 
so  he  came  with  Sukey. 

Sukey  had  a  terrible  story  to  tell  of  captivity 
and  service  on  the  Macedonian,  which  we  reserve 
for  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

ON    WATER. 

THE  English  navy  was  the  pride  of  that  great 
nation  in  1812,  as  it  is  now.  When  war  with  the 
United  States  was  discussed,  the  idea  that  America 
without  a  navy,  and  with  but  few  if  any  trained 
naval  officers  could  cope  with  England,  caused  the 
Briton  to  smile;  but  a  great  surprise  was  in  store. 
The  first  American  victories  were  on  the  high  seas. 
Tradition,  discipline,  ships  and  training  seemed  all 
of  no  avail.  While  the  English  were  carrying 
everything  on  land,  where  it  was  supposed  they 
were  weakest,  they  were  losing  everything  on 
water,  where  thought  to  be  strongest.  Everybody 
was  surprised.  They  supposed  the  first  three  or 
four  American  victories  were  accidents;  but  as 
success  after  success  continued  to  follow  the  Amer- 
ican arms  at  sea,  they  were  dumfounded.  Eng- 
land's boasted  navy  had  lost  its  power. 

The  first  naval  engagement  of  any  consequence 
was  on  August  19,  1812.  Captain  Hull  of  the 
United  States  frigate  Constitution  captured  an  Eng- 

332 


ON  WATER.  333 

lish  frigate,  The  Guerriere,  after  a  hard  fought 
battle.  The  Guerriere  had  made  herself  very  ob- 
noxious in  her  way  of  challenging  American  ves- 
sels. In  this  engagement  she  lost  seventy-nine 
killed  and  wounded,  while  the  Constitution  lost  but 
thirteen.  There  were  ten  impressed  Americans  on 
The  Guerriere.  On  the  7th  of  September,  the 
United  States  frigate  Essex  captured  the  Alert  in  a 
fight  of  eight  minutes.  The  American  sloop-of- 
war  Wasp,  on  the  18th  of  October,  encountered 
the  British  sloop-of-war  frolic,  a  much  larger  and 
stronger  ship.  The  fight  was  terrible,  and  only 
three  officers  and  one  seaman  on  the  Frolic  remained 
unhurt ;  almost  a  hundred  were  killed  and  wounded, 
while  the  Americans  lost  but  ten.  The  Wasp  did 
not  long  enjoy  her  triumph,  however.  On  that 
same  evening  the  British  man-of-war  Poicters,  Cap- 
tain Beresford,  captured  the  Wasp  and  her  prize. 

The  phrase  "  Free  Trade  and  Sailors'  Eights," 
borne  on  the  banner  at  the  masthead  of  the  Essex, 
soon  became  the  war-cry  of  the  American  seaman. 

The  25th  of  October,  1812,  one  week  after  the 
victory  and  loss  of  the  gallant  Wasp,  dawned 
bright  and  clear  on  the  English  frigate  Macedonian 
sailing  westward  of  Canary  Islands.  Little  change 
had  come  to  the  Macedonian  since  Fernando  Stevens 
had  been  transferred  from  her  to  the  sloop.  At 
this  time  there  were  but  three  impressed  Ameri- 


334  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

cans  on  the  Macedonian,  Sukey,  a  negro  sailor  called 
Tawney  and  a  man  named  Rogers. 

Notwithstanding  their  difference  in  race  and  so- 
cial standing,  Sukey  and  Tawney  were  attached  to 
each  other.  Both  were  Americans,  and  both  loved 
the  star-spangled  banner. 

It  was  a  holy  Sabbath  morning,  and  every  sailor, 
according  to  Captain  Garden's  orders,  was  dressed 
in  his  best,  when  the  cry  of,  "  Sail  ho!"  rang  out 
from  the  masthead.  It  was  ascertained  that  the 
stranger  was  an  American,  and  the  ship  was  cleared 
for  action.  As  the  Macedonian  bore  down  on  the 
American — her  men  at  their  quarters — Sukey  and 
Tawney,  who  happened  to  be  stationed  at  the 
quarter-deck  battery,  respectfully  accosted  the  cap- 
tain, as  he  passed  them  in  his  rapid  promenade, 
his  spyglass  under  his  arm. 

"  Say,  look  here, "  said  Sukey,  "  we  are  not 
Englishmen;  we  don't  want  to  be  in  the  game. 
It's  a  bitter  thing  to  lift  a  hand  against  the  flag  of 
that  country  which  harbors  our  parents.  Please 
release  us  from  this  contest  and  let  us  remain  neu- 
tral during  the  fight;  I  tell  you,  I  don't  want  to 
be  in  the  game. " 

When  a  ship  of  any  nation  is  running  into  ac- 
tion, there  is  no  time  for  argument,  small  time  for 
justice,  and  not  much  for  humanity.  Snatching  a 
pistol  from  the  belt  of  a  boarder  standing  by,  the 


ON  WATER.  335 

captain  leveled  it  at  the  heads  of  the  sailors,  and 
commanded  them  instantly  to  their  quarters,  under 
penalty  of  being  shot  on  the  spot.  So,  side  by 
side  with  their  country's  foes,  Sukey,  Tawney  and 
Rogers  toiled  at  the  guns,  and  fought  out  the 
fight  to  the  last;  with  the  exception  of  Rogers  who 
was  killed  by  one  of  his  country's  balls. 

The  conflict  was  terrible.  Sukey  was  stationed 
on  the  gun  deck,  abreast  the  mainmast.  This  part 
of  the  ship  they  called  the  slaughter-house,  for 
men  fell  five  and  six  at  a  time.  An  enemy  nearly 
always  directs  his  shot  at  this  point  in  order  to 
cut  away  the  mast.  The  beams  and  carlines  were 
spattered  with  blood  and  brains.  About  the  hatch- 
ways it  looked  like  a  butcher's  stall ;  bits  of  human 
flesh  were  sticking  in  the  ring-bolts.  A  pig  that 
ran  about  the  deck,  though  unharmed,  was  so  cov- 
ered with  blood,  that  the  sailors  threw  it  over- 
board, swearing  it  would  be  rank  cannibalism  to 
eat  it.  A  goat,  kept  on  board  for  her  milk,  had 
her  legs  shot  away,  and  was  thrown  into  the  sea. 

The  sailors  who  were  killed  were,  according  to 
the  usual  custom,  ordered  to  be  thrown  overboard 
as  soon  as  they  fell ;  for  the  sight  of  so  many 
corpses  lying  around  might  appall  the  survivors  at 
the  guns.  A  shot  entering  one  of  the  portholes 
cut  down  two-thirds  of  a  gun's  crew.  The  captain 
of  the  next  gun,  dropping  his  lock  string,  which 


336  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

he  had  just  pulled,  turned  over  the  heap  of  bodies 
to  see  who  they  were;  when,  perceiving  an  old 
messmate,  who  had  sailed  with  him  in  many  cruises, 
he  burst  into  tears,  and,  taking  the  corpse  up  in 
his  arms  and  going  with  it  to  the  side,  he  held  it 
over  the  water  a  moment,  gazed  on  the  silent  pale 
face  and  cried : 

"Oh,  God!  Tom — Tom,  has  it  come  to  this  at 
last " 

"  D — n  your  prayers !  over  with  that  thing ! 
overboard  with  it  and  down  to  your  gun!"  roared 
a  wounded  lieutenant.  The  order  was  obeyed,  and 
the  heart-stricken  sailor  returned  to  his  post. 

At  last,  having  lost  her  fore  and  maintopmasts, 
her  mizzenmast  having  been  shot  away  to  the  deck, 
and  her  foreyard  lying  in  two  pieces  on  her  shat- 
tered forecastle,  having  been  hulled  in  a  hun- 
dred places  with  round  shot,  the  Macedonian  was 
reduced  to  the  last  extremity.  Captain  Garden 
ordered  his  signal  quartermaster  to  strike  the  flag. 

Never  did  Sukey  hear  a  command  with  greater 
joy.  Never  was  a  sailor  so  happy  at  being  de- 
feated. When  the  order  was  given  to  strike  the 
flag,  one  of  Captain  Garden's  officers,  a  man  hated 
by  the  seamen  for  his  tyranny,  howled  the  most 
terrific  remonstrances,  and  swore  he  would  rather 
sink  alongside  than  surrender.  Had  he  been  cap- 
tain, probably  he  would  have  done  so. 


ON  WATER.  337 

Sukey  and  Tawney  were  among  the  boat's  crew 
which  rowed  Captain  Garden  to  the  enemy.  As 
he  touched  the  deck,  Captain  Garden  saluted  his 
captor,  Captain  Decatur,  and  offered  him  his  sword ; 
but  it  was  courteously  declined.  The  victor  re- 
membered the  dinner  parties  he  and  Captain  Garden 
had  enjoyed  in  Norfolk,  previous  to  the  breaking 
out  of  hostilities,  and  while  both  were  in  command 
of  the  very  frigates  now  crippled  on  the  sea.  The 
Macedonian  had  gone  into  Norfolk  with  despatches ; 
while  Decatur  was  in  that  port.  Then  they  had 
laughed  and  joked  over  their  wine,  and  a  wager  of 
a  beaver  hat  was  said  to  have  been  made  between 
them  upon  the  event  of  the  hostile  meeting  of  their 
ships. 

This  was  their  next  meeting.  Sukey  and  Tawney 
went  home  in  the  American  frigate  United  States. 
With  Sukey's  return  to  his  native  country,  the 
reader's  interest  in  the  naval  operations  perhaps 
ceases.  Naval  battles  are  the  same,  bloody  and 
desperate,  and  the  details  of  the  fight  with  the 
Macedonian  are  the  details  of  all  others.  After 
briefly  noticing  the  principal  victories  and  defeats 
on  sea,  we  shall  take  up  again  the  characters  in  our 
story. 

On  November  22d,  the  United  States  brig 
Vixen  was  captured  by  the  English  frigate  South- 
ampton, and  both  were  subsequently  shipwrecked. 
22 


338  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

On  December  29th,  the  United  States  frigate  Con- 
stitution, under  Commodore  Buinbridge,  captured 
the  British  frigate  Java,  off  the  coast  of  Brazil. 
The  American  loss  was  44  and  the  British  151. 
The  American  victories  of  the  year  of  1812  with 
such  little  loss  produced  much  exultation  in  Amer- 
ica and  surprise  and  mortification  in  England. 
American  seamen  had  been  the  greatest  sufferers  at 
the  hands  of  the  British,  and  they  had  long  burned 
to  avenge  the  insults  of  the  English  Navy.  They 
fought  for  patriotism,  glory  and  vengeance. 

The  year  1813  was  noted  for  the  continued  suc- 
cess of  the  American  Navy.  On  February  24th, 
the  Hornet  captured  the  British  brig  Peacock  on 
the  coast  of  South  America.  On  June  1st,  the 
British  frigate  Shannon  captured  the  Chesapeake 
after  a  terrible  battle,  in  which  the  Americans  lost 
133  and  the  British  half  as  many.  Captain  Law- 
rence of  the  Chesapeake  was  mortally  wounded, 
and  his  dying  command,  "Don't  give  up  the 
ship!"  has  been  the  motto  for  many  worthy  enter- 
prises. 

In  August,  Captain  Porter,  with  the  American 
frigate  Essex,  cruising  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  cap- 
tured twelve  armed  British  whalers.  In  the  same 
month,  the  American  sloop-of-war  Argus,  cruising 
in  the  English  channel,  captured  twenty -one  Brit- 
ish merchantmen,  but  on  the  13th  was  herself  cap- 


ON  WATER.  339 

tured  by  the  British  man-of-war  Pelican  after  a 
severe  engagement.  On  the  3d  of  September,  the 
American  brig  Enterprise  captured  the  British  Boxer 
off  the  coast  of  Maine.  Perry's  victory  on  Lake 
Erie,  which  occurred  on  the  10th  of  this  month, 
has  already  been  noticed. 

The  jrear  1814  was  not  a  line  of  unbroken  suc- 
cess, though  American  victories  were  many  and 
brilliant.  On  the  28th  of  March,  the  brilliant 
career  of  the  United  States  frigate  Essex,  in  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  was  terminated  by  her  capture  by 
two  British  war  vessels  at  Valparaiso.  On  April 
21st,  the  United  States  sloop-of-war  Frolic  was 
captured  by  the  British  frigate  Orpheus.  On  the 
27th  of  the  same  month,  the  United  States  sloop- 
of-war  Peacock  captured  the  British  brig-of-war 
Epervier  with  $118,000  in  specie  on  board.  On 
June  9th,  the  United  States  sloop-of-war  Rattle- 
snake was  captured  by  a  British  man-of-war.  This 
reverse  was  followed  by  the  loss  of  the  United 
States  sloop  Syren  on  the  12th.  On  the  28th,  the 
American  sloop  Wasp  captured  the  British  sloop 
Reindeer,  in  the  British  channel.  On  the  1st  of 
September,  the  Wasp  captured  the  British  sloop 
Avon,  and  after  taking  three  other  prizes,  this 
remarkably  successful  vessel  mysteriously  disap- 
peared. Her  fate  was  never  known,  though  it  is 
supposed  she  was  lost  at  sea. 


340  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

On  January  15,  1815,  the  United  States  frigate 
President  was  captured  by  four  English  vessels. 
On  the  28th  of  February,  although  peace  was  de- 
clared, the  United  States  frigate  Constitution  cap- 
tured two  British  vessels  of  war,  off  the  island 
of  Madeira.  In  March,  the  United  States  frigate 
Hornet  captured  the  British  brig  Penguin,  off  the 
coast  of  Brazil. 

The  last  hostile  act  at  sea  took  place  in  the 
Straits  of  Sunda,  in  the  East  Indies,  where  the 
United  States  brig-of -war  Peacock  captured  the  Nau- 
tilus, a  British  sloop-of-war.  The  three  American 
vessels  at  sea  when  the  war  closed  each  came"  home 
crowned  with  laurels.  The  part  taken  by  the 
American  privateers  during  the  war  was  consider- 
able and  a  detailed  history  of  them  would  fill  a 
volume  larger  than  this.  During  the  war  there 
were  1,750  British  vessels  captured,  against  a  loss 
of  1,683  American  ships.  The  spirit  and  energy 
of  the  American  seamen,  under  all  their  embarrass- 
ments, gave  an  unmistakable  indication  of  the  fu- 
ture greatness  of  the  power  of  the  United  States 
Navy. 

On  the  first  night  after  Sukey  and  Terrence 
joined  Fernando,  the  three  sat  about  the  bivouac 
fire,  while  all  save  the  sentries  slept,  talking  over 
the  past  which,  to  Fernando,  seemed  like  a  troubled 
dream. 


ON  WATER.  341 

"  Did  either  of  you  ever  meet  Captain  Snipes?" 
asked  Fernand9. 

"Bad  luck  to  him,  I  did  not,"  said  Terrence. 
"  It's  bad  it  would  have  fared  with  the  spalpeen  if 
I  had." 

At  mention  of  Captain  Snipes,  there  came  an 
expression  over  Sukey's  face  which  is  indescrib- 
able. His  face  grew  pale,  and  his  brow  contracted, 
his  teeth  set,  and  his  eyes  seemed  to  have  the  glit- 
ter of  steel,  while  he  shrugged  his  shoulders,  as  if 
he  again  felt  the  cat-o' -nine-tails  about  them. 

"  Did  he  never  come  aboard  the  Macedonian 
again?"  asked  Fernando. 

"No." 

"  Did  you  hear  of  him  ? " 

"Yes." 

"Where  was  he?" 

"  He  was  transferred  to  the  Xenophon. " 

"  The  Xenophon  ?  was  not  Lieutenant  Matson  in 
command  of  that  vessel?" 

"For  awhile." 

"  Was  he  not  promoted  ?  " 

"  No ;  it  seems  his  affair  with  you  got  to  Eng- 
land." 

"  Just  in  time  to  spoil  a  nate  little  promotion, 
too, "  put  in  Terrence.  "  I  heard  all  about  it  from 
the  captain  of  the  merchantman  I  captured.  He 
told  me  when  we  were  playing  poker  one  night." 


342  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Fernando  looked  sadly  into  the  smouldering  biv- 
ouac and  heaved  a  sigh.  Almost  five  years  had 
elapsed  since  he  had  seen  Morgianna,  and  he  had  not 
heard  a  word  from  her  since  he  left  her  in  the  great 
stone  house  on  the  hill  that  night, — she  laughing  at 
his  misery. 

After  a  long  silence  Fernando  asked : 

"  Is  he  married'/" 

"  Who?"  asked  Sukey. 

"Faith,  the  captain's  absent  minded,"  put  in 
Terrence. 

"  I  mean  Lieutenant  Matson. " 

"  Not  as  I  know  of. " 

"  Did  you  see  him  after  we  left  Mariana  ? " 

"Yes." 

"When?" 

"  Only  six  days  before  we  were  captured  by  De- 
catur.  We  touched  at  the  Canary  Islands,  and  the 
Xenophon  was  there.  He  came  aboard  our  vessel. " 

"  Did  he  recognize  you  ? " 

"No,"  Sukey  answered.  "Had  he  known  me 
he  wouldn't  a-talked  with  a  common  sailor." 

"  Was  he  married  then?" 

"  No;  I  heard  him  tell  Captain  Garden  that  he 
was  still  single." 

Fernando  heaved  another  sigh  and  asked : 

"  Did  he  say — did  he  say  anything  about  her?" 

"Who?" 


ON  WATER.  343 

The  conversation  was  not  interesting  to  Terrence 
and  he  had  gone  to  another  part  of  the  camp,  to 
engage  in  a  game  of  cards  with  a  sentry. 

"  Morgianna,"  Fernando  said. 

"Morgianna?  no — she  is  the  girl  at  Mariana, 
isn't  she?" 

"Yes." 

"  I  didn't  hear  him  mention  her  name." 

"  They  are  not  married  yet?" 

"No." 

"Perhaps  I  was  mistaken  after  all,"  said  Fer- 
nando thoughtfully.  "  May  be  she  don't  care  for 
him." 

Then  Fernando  sighed  again  and  gazed  into  the 
smouldering  fire.  After  several  minutes  more,  he 
said: 

"  Sukey,  she  must  be  in  love  with  him." 

"  I  thought  so. " 

Fernando  sighed  and  remarked : 

"  She  may  have  married  some  one  else,  though. " 

"No,  she  ain't." 

"  Have  you  heard  of  her?" 

"  I  saw  her!"  Sukey  declared. 

"When?" 

"  When  I  was  in  Baltimore  last  winter." 

"  Did  you  talk  with  her,  Sukey?" 

"No." 

"  Then  how  did  you  know  she  was  not  married?" 


344  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"  I  was  in  a  store  and  overheard  two  women  who 
knew  her  gossiping.  One  asked  the  other  if  Mor- 
gianna  Lane  was  married  yet.  One  said : 

"  'I  thought  she  would  marry  the  English  lieu- 
tenant. ' 

"  The  other  said : 

"  'No,  not  yet.  I  suppose  they  are  waiting  till 
the  war  is  over. ' 

"  'Has  she  no  other  lover?'  asked  the  other. 
Then  the  other  woman  said  she  believed  not,  at 
least  none  ever  came  to  see  her. " 

Fernando  was  quite  sure  she  must  have  lovers 
by  the  score.  Such  a  glorious  woman  as  Morgianna 
could  not  but  have  an  abundance  to  choose  from. 

"  You  saw  Morgianna,  Sukey,  how  did  she  look?" 

"  Just  as  when  we  left.     Not  a  day  older. " 

"  You  knew  her  at  sight?" 

"  Of  course ;  but  she  didn't  know  me.  I  suspect 
I  was  a  hard-looking  case  then ;  for  I  had  just  come 
from  the  ship  and  had  on  my  English  pea-jacket, 
and  my  linen  was  not  the  cleanest. " 

Fernando  sat  silent  for  such  a  long  time,  that 
Sukey,  who  was  tired,  nodded  awhile  in  silence, 
then,  rolling  up  in  his  blanket,  lay  down  under  a 
tree  and  slept.  Fernando  still  sat  gazing  into  the 
fire  and  saying  to  himself : 

"Oh,  if  it  could  have  been,  if  it  could  have 
been!"  - 


ON  WATER.  345 

A  young  woman  does  a  rash  thing  when  she  re- 
jects such  a  warm,  manly  heart  as  that  of  Fernando 
Stevens.  Not  all  men  are  capable  of  such  unselfish 
devotion  as  his,  and  Morgianna  little  dreamed  how 
much  she  was  casting  aside. 

He  was  still  gazing  into  the  smouldering  fire, 
when  Terrence,  who  had  won  all  the  money  from 
the  soldier  with  whom  he  was  playing  cards,  came 
to  him  and  said : 

"  Captain,  are  ye  goin'  to  spend  the  night  gazing 
into  the  fire?" 

"  No,  Terrence ;  I  am  not  sleepy ;  but  I  will  lie 
down." 

"  Captain,  do  ye  remember  the  little  girl  at  Mari- 
ana five  years  ago,  the  one  yersilf  and  the  English- 
man were  about  to  break  heads  over?" 

"  You  mean  Morgianna  Lane,  Terrence?" 

"  To  be  sure  I  do.  I  saw  the  swate  craythur 
not  two  months  since."  Fernando,  who  was  any- 
thing but  sleepy,  asked : 

"  Where  did  you  see  her,  Terrence?" 

"  In  Baltimore.  She  is  prettier  than  whin  you 
used  to  stroll  over  the  beach  in  the  moonlight  with 
her." 

"  Is  she  married?" 

"  Divil  a  bit.  I  talked  with  her,  and,  d'ye  be- 
lave  me,  almost  the  first  question  she  asked  me 
was  about  yersilf.  Aye,  Fernando,  it  was  a  grand 


346  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

story  I  told  her  about  ye  making  a  hero  of  yersilf. 
I  told  her  how  ye  defeated  Tecumseh  and  killed 
the  thief  with  yer  own  hand,  and  how  ye  conquered 
at  Chippewa  and  Lundy's  Lane." 

Fernando's  heart  gave  a  tremendous  bound. 
Had  she  really  asked  about  him?  Then  she  had 
not  forgotten  him  in  five  long  years.  Could  this 
be  true?  Terrence  had  not  the  strictest  regard  for 
truth,  and  he  might  be  only  telling  this  out  of  mis- 
chief. 

"Terrence,  are  you  telling  me  the  truth?"  he 
asked. 

"  Ivery  blissid  word  of  it  is  the  gospel  truth,  me 
frind,"  Terrence  answered.  "The  little  girl  still 
lives  at  the  village  bey  ant  Baltimore,  and  if  ye 
want  her,  ye  kin  win  her. " 

"  Terrence,  you  are  trifling  with  me;  Morgianna 
cares  nothing  for  me. " 

"Don't  ye  belave  it.  If  she  didn't,  why  did 
she  ask  about  ye  the  very  first  chance  she  had? 
Me  boy,  whin  a  girl  remembers  a  fellow  after  five 
years,  it's  some  sign.  Now  if  ye  want  that  blush- 
in'  damsel,  lave  it  all  to  me. " 

"  Terrence,  let  us  go  to  sleep,  we  have  a  hard 
march  before  us  to-morrow." 

"  I  take  it  at  yer  word,  captain." 

In  less  than  ten  minutes  the  light-hearted  Irish- 
man was  buried  in  slumber. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

THE  CRUISER'S  THREAT. 

TERRENCE  and  Sukey  both  volunteered  to  ac- 
company Fernando's  detached  riflemen  in  the  vig- 
orous campaign  which  was  before  them.  Fernando's 
riflemen  now  numbered  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
two,  composed  mostly  of  frontiersmen,  all  dead 
shots.  Sukey  declared  that  he  was  in  the  game 
and  would  kill  a  British  officer  for  every  stripe 
Captain  Snipes  had  caused  to  be  laid  on  his  shoul- 
ders. 

"  There  were  twelve  blows,  nine  stripes  each. 
Nine  times  twelve  are  one  hundred  and  eight." 

"  And  have  ye  got  the  job  all  before  ye,  Sukey?" 
asked  Terrence. 

"I've  commenced.  Eight  have  been  blotted 
out.  Only  a  hundred  remains, "  Sukey  answered 
solemnly. 

No  one  asked  when  the  eight  had  been  blotted 
out,  but  Fernando  knew  he  must  have  done  it 
while  the  Macedonian  was  righting  the  American 
frigate.  Sailors,  driven  to  desperation,  frequently 
take  advantage  of  such  occasions  to  wreak  ven- 

347 


348  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

geance  on  cruel  officers.  The  boatswain's  mate 
who  had  flogged  Sukey  was  found  dead  on  the  gun 
deck  at  the  close  of  the  fight. 

The  American  forces  were  hurried  forward  to 
Washington,  where  everything  was  in  the  wildest 
confusion.  The  contemptible  Peace  Party  had 
done  all  by  way  of  ridicule  and  argument  to  keep 
off  the  war,  and  were  now  doing  all  in  their  power 
to  prevent  its  prosecution.  General  Winder  and 
Commodore  Barney  were  in  command  of  the  land 
and  naval  forces  of  the  United  States,  for  the  de- 
fence of  Washington.  In  vain  Winder  had  called 
on  the  government  for  more  troops  and  supplies. 

When  Fernando  arrived  at  Washington,  Barney 
had  already  blown  up  his  flotilla  at  Pig  Point,  and 
with  his  soldiers  and  marines  joined  General  Win- 
der. 

General  Boss,  the  commander  of  the  British  land 
forces  and  one  of  the  most  active  of  Wellington's 
officers,  on  finding  the  American  flotilla  a  smok- 
ing ruin,  inarched  to  upper  Marlborough  with  his 
troops,  where  a  road  led  directly  to  Washington 
City,  leaving  Cockburn  in  charge  of  the  British 
flotilla.  Winder  had  but  three  thousand  men, 
most  of  them  undisciplined,  to  oppose  this  force ; 
and  he  prudently  retreated  toward  Washington  fol- 
lowed by  Ross,  who,  on  the  23d  of  August,  was 
joined  by  Cockburn  and  his  seamen. 


THE  CRUISER'S   THREAT.  349 

Uncertain  whether  Washington  City  or  Fort 
Washington  was  the  destination  of  the  enemy, 
Winder  left  a  force  at  Bladensburg  about  four 
miles  from  the  capitol,  and  with  other  troops 
watched  the  highways  leading  in  other  directions, 
while  he  hastened  to  the  city  to  inform  the  presi- 
dent that  the  enemy  were  camped  in  ten  miles  of 
the  capitol. 

Neither  President  Madison  nor  his  cabinet  slept 
that  night.  Fernando  and  his  riflemen  were  sent 
to  Bladensburg  at  midnight,  and  on  the  morning 
of  August  24,  1814,  a  small  scouting  party  sent 
down  the  road  came  back  reporting  that  the  British 
army  was  on  the  advance. 

Fernando  with  his  riflemen  went  to  meet  the 
enemy  and  hold  them  in  check  as  long  as  possible. 
About  ten  o'clock,  they  came  in  sight  of  the  ad- 
vance of  the  enemy.  About  two  hundred  redcoats 
were  led  by  an  officer  on  horseback. 

Sukey  saw  that  officer,  and  he  also  saw  an  old 
tree  about  a  hundred  yards  nearer  the  enemy  and 
twenty  paces  to  the  left  of  the  road.  From  it,  one 
would  be  in  long  rifle  range  of  the  British. 

"Fernando,  I  want  to  go  there,"  said  Sukey, 
hugging  his  long  rifle  as  if  it  were  his  dearest 
friend. 

"Go." 

He  went  with  arms  trailed,  stooping  as  he  ran, 


350  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

to  keep  the  enemy  from  seeing  him,  and  gained 
the  tree,  which  stood  on  an  eminence  that  over- 
looked the  narrow  valley  below.  The  British  saw 
the  Americans  and  halted.  The  officer  was  riding 
up  and  down  the  line  giving  directions,  wholly 
unconscious  of  the  rifle  behind  the  old  tree. 

Suddenly  a  little  puff  of  smoke  curled  up  from 
where  Sukey  was  crouched,  and  the  crack  of  a  rifle 
rang  out.  The  officer  in  his  gay  uniform  dropped 
his  sword  and  fell  from  his  saddle,  while  Sukey 
took  a  small  day  book  from  his  pocket  and  wrote 
"  nine"  in  it. 

Fernando 's  company  fell  back  to  Bladensburg, 
where  he  deployed  them  so  as  to  cover  the  Ameri- 
cans' line,  and  awaited  the  approach  of  the  enemy. 

It  was  afternoon  before  they  advanced,  and  the 
skirmishers  for  ten  minutes  held  them  in  check, 
then,  as  they  fell  back  to  the  main  line,  Fernando 
saw  Sukey  write  "  twelve"  in  his  book.  The  fight 
began  in  earnest  just  below  Bladensburg  in  an  old 
field.  The  roar  of  cannon  and  rattling  crash  of 
musketry  filled  the  air.  General  Winder,  who  had 
been  in  Washington  the  night  before,  returned  just 
before  the  battle  began.  The  militia  broke  and 
fled  in  confusion;  and  the  brave  Barney,  with 
Captain  Stevens'  riflemen,  sustained  the  brunt  of 
the  battle,  until  Barney  was  severely  wounded, 
when  Winder,  seeing  no  hope  of  winning  a  victory, 


THE  CRUISER'S   THREAT.  351 

ordered  a  retreat.  The  troops  remaining  fell  back 
toward  Montgomery  Courthouse,  in  Maryland, 
leaving  the  battlefield  in  possession  of  the  invaders. 
The  battle  had  lasted  more  than  four  hours,  and 
the  victory  was  won  at  fearful  cost,  for  more  than 
five  hundred  Britons  were  dead  or  wounded  on  the 
field,  among  them  several  officers  of  distinction, 
Sukey  had  added  several  numbers  in  his  book. 

The  president  and  his  secretaries  of  war  and 
state  had  come  to  witness  the  conflict  and  give 
assistance  if  possible.  When  the  day  was  lost, 
they  mounted  swift  horses  and  dashed  back  to  the 
city.  Terrence,  who  had  captured  the  steed  of  a 
British  officer,  overtook  the  president's  advance 
party.  Whipping  his  horse  alongside  the  president, 
he  cried : 

"  Misther  Madison,  wasn't  that  as  illegant  a 
knock  down  as  iver  a  man  saw  in  all  his  life?  I 
enjoy  such." 

"  How  are  we  to  save  Washington  without  an 
army?"  cried  the  president,  whose  mind  was  wholly 
occupied  with  the  safety  of  the  capital. 

To  this,  Terrence  responded  with  his  stereotyped : 

"  Lave  it  all  to  me. " 

Mrs.  Madison,  at  the  White  House,  had  already 
been  apprised  of  danger,  by  a  messenger  sent  by 
her  husband  on  the  flight  of  the  militia.  Her  car- 
riage was  at  the  door  ready  for  flight,  and  she  had 


352  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

already  sent  away  to  a  place  of  safety  silver  plate 
and  other  valuables.  While  waiting  anxiously  for 
her  husband,  she  cut  out  of  the  frame  for  preserva- 
tion a  full  length  portrait  of  Washington,  by 
Stuart.  At  this  moment,  her  husband's  mes- 
sengers, Mr.  Jacob  Barker  and  another  man,  en- 
tered the  house.  Mr.  Barker  cried : 

"  Fly,  Mrs.  Madison,  the  day  is  lost,  and  the 
British  are  coming!" 

"  Where  is  my  husband?"  she  asked. 

"  Safe,  and  he  will  join  you  beyond  the  Po- 
tomac. " 

Pointing  to  Washington's  picture  on  the  floor, 
she  cried : 

"  Save  that  picture !  save  or  destroy  it,  but  do 
not  let  it  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  British !" 

Then,  snatching  up  the  precious  parchment  on 
which  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  written, 
and  which  contained  the  names  of  the  fifty-six 
signers  of  that  document,  she  entered  the  carriage 
with  her  sister  and  two  others,  and  the  four  were 
driven  away  to  a  place  of  safety  beyond  the  Poto- 
mac. The  picture  was  saved,  and  it  now  adorns 
one  of  the  reception  rooms  in  the  White  House. 

The  British  entered  Washington  at  sunset,  Au- 
gust 24,  1814,  and  at  once  began  to  plunder,  burn 
and  destroy.  The  capitol,  president's  house,  treas- 
ury buildings,  arsenal  and  barracks  were  burned, 


THE  CRUISER'S  THREAT.  353 

and  of  the  public  buildings  only  the  patent  office 
was  saved.  Some  private  houses  were  plundered 
and  others  were  burned.  While  these  buildings 
were  blazing  in  the  city,  the  public  vessels  and 
other  government  property  at  the  navy  yard  were 
in  flames,  for  Commodore  Tingey,  who  was  in 
command  there,  had  been  ordered  to  destroy  this 
property  in  case  it  was  likely  to  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  invaders.  Two  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of 
public  property  were  destroyed  on  that  night. 

On  the  27th  of  August,  three  days  later,  Alex- 
andria was  plundered  of  her  public  stores  by  the 
British.  Having  taken  an  enormous  amount  as 
ransom  for  the  city,  the  British  sailed  down  the 
Potomac,  annoyed  part  of  the  way  by  the  guns 
from  the  American  forts. 

Fernando  Stevens'  riflemen,  after  the  battle  of 
Bladensburg,  hastened  toward  Baltimore,  which 
they  knew  to  be  also  threatened.  Here  they  found 
the  people  energetically  making  every  possible  ef- 
fort to  defend  the  city.  Fort  McHenry,  which 
commanded  the  harbor,  was  garrisoned  by  about  a 
thousand  men,  under  Major  Armistead,  and  was 
supported  by  redoubts.  Fernando 's  riflemen  were 
assigned  to  General  Strieker. 

On  September  11,  1814,  the  enemy  appeared  off 
Patapsco  Bay,  and  before  sunrise  on  the  12th  had 
landed,  nine  thousand  strong,  at  North  Point, 


354  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

twelve  miles  from  Baltimore.  When  news  came 
that  the  British  were  landing  on  North  Point,  Gen- 
eral Smith,  who  had  about  nine  thousand  men 
under  his  command,  sent  General  Strieker  with 
more  than  three  thousand  of  them,  to  watch  the 
enemy,  and  act  as  circumstances  might  require. 

Fernando  Stevens'  riflemen  accompanied  Striek- 
er, and  were  sent  forward  down  a  rocky  ravine, 
where  they  might  watch  the  enemy.  Fernando 
left  his  men  in  the  deepest  hollow  while  he,  with 
only  ten  or  twelve,  crept  forward  behind  some  large 
stones  which  lay  at  the  roadside.  About  ten  paces 
to  the  right  of  Fernando  was  Sukey,  with  his  for- 
midable rifle  resting  in  the  hollow  of  his  left  arm. 
Soon  the  head  of  the  long  column  could  be  seen 
advancing  up  the  broad  thoroughfare.  Fernando 
saw  two  gayly -dressed  officers  riding  at  the  head. 
He  afterward  learned  that  they  were  Generals  Ross 
and  Cockburn. 

"  Say,  Fernando, "  said  Sukey,  "  those  fellows 
are  officers,  ain't  they?" 

"Yes." 

"  Must  be  generals  by  the  clothes  they  wear?" 

"Perhaps." 

Ross  was  riding  gayly  along  by  the  side  of  Cock- 
burn,  laughing  and  jesting  about  making  Baltimore 
his  winter  quarters,  when  on  their  left  there  sud- 
denly rang  out  the  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle,  while  a 


THE  CRUISER'S   THREAT.  355 

little  puff  of  smoke  curled  up  from  the  great  black 
rock  almost  two  hundred  paces  distant. 

"  Oh !"  groaned  the  general,  and  jerking  his  rein, 
until  his  horse  reared  in  the  air,  his  chin  fell  on 
his  chest,  and  he  began  to  sink  from  the  saddle. 
Cockburn  caught  him  and  called  for  assistance. 
They  hurried  him  back  to  the  boats,  where  he 
might  have  surgical  aid ;  but  he  died  before  the 
boats  were  reached.  He  lived  just  long  enough  to 
name  his  wife  and  to  commend  his  family  to  the 
care  of  his  country. 

Fernando  Stevens  heard  the  sharp  report  on  his 
right,  as  Ross  fell,  and,  turning  his  eyes  in  that 
direction,  saw  the  smoke  slowly  curling  up  from 
the  muzzle  of  Sukey's  rifle,  while  he  coolly  wrote 
in  his  day-book. 

"  Say,  Fernando,  I  ought  to  count  three  or  four 
for  that  one,  shouldn't  I?"  Sukey  coolly  asked. 
"  He  was  a  big  one. " 

The  British  were  thrown  into  momentary  con- 
fusion by  the  sudden  death  of  General  Ross ;  but 
Colonel  Brooke  rallied  them,  and  Fernando's  rifle- 
men fell  back  until  they  joined  General  Strieker's 
men. 

The  British  came  on  and  a  severe  fight,  which 
lasted  two  hours,  ensued,  when  Strieker  ordered 
a  retreat  to  his  reserve  corps.  There  he  re- 
formed a  brigade  and  fell  back  toward  the  city,  as 


356  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

far  as  Worthington's  Mill,  where  they  were  joined 
by  General  Winder  and  some  fresh  troops. 

Fernando  witnessed  the  bombardment  of  Fort 
McHenry  during  that  terrible  night,  when  Mr. 
Francis  S.  Key,  a  prisoner  on  board  an  English 
vessel,  composed  the  song  which  immortalized  him, 
— "  The  Star-Spangled  Banner. " 

Not  only  Baltimore,  but  all  the  Chesapeake  and 
coast  was  threatened  by  the  British.  Cruisers  by 
the  score  were  threatening  almost  every  seaport 
town. 

The  day  after  the  unsuccessful  bombardment  of 
Fort  McHenry,  General  Smith  sent  for  Fernando 
Stevens,  and  when  he  was  in  the  general's  head- 
quarters, that  officer  said : 

"  Captain  Stevens,  I  would  like  to  have  you  do 
a  little  detached  duty. " 

"  General,  I  am  willing  to  do  whatever  you 
may  wish.  You  can  command  me  at  your  pleas- 
ure." 

"  There  is  a  cruiser  on  the  coast  threatening  a 
little  town  where  some  government  stores  have 
been  placed  for  safety.  Will  you  undertake  the 
defence  of  the  town?" 

"  Certainly ;  I  will  do  the  best  I  can ;  but  suc- 
cess will  depend  on  my  means. " 

"  How  many  men  have  you?" 

"  One  hundred  and  fifty. " 


THE  CRUISER'S  THREAT.  357 

"  I  will  send  fifty  marines  with  you. " 

"But  artillery?" 

"  There  are  some  nine-pounders  and  one  long 
thirty-two  at  the  village.  Muster  your  men,  hasten 
there  at  once,  and  do  the  best  you  can." 

"  But,  general,  you  have  not  yet  told  me  the 
name  of  the  village. " 

"  Mariana. " 

"  What?"  gasped  Fernando,  starting  to  his  feet. 
"  Did  you  say  Mariana.  Perhaps  I  misunderstood 
you. " 

"No;  I  mean  Mariana.  Captain  Lane,  an  old 
privateer  officer  of  the  Kevolution,  is  there.  He 
has  organized  a  company  of  Marylanders  on  the 
peninsula  on  which  Mariana  is  situated,  and  will 
be  able  to  help  you  some.  You  will  find  an  abun- 
dance of  ammunition  for  your  artillery. " 

Fernando  left  the  general's  quarters  with  his 
heart  beating  in  a  way  which  he  could  not  explain. 
Terrence  had  just  returned  to  the  company.  Fer- 
nando ordered  his  men  to  be  ready  to  march  at 
dark,  and  was  hastening  across  the  street  to  a  tav- 
ern for  his  supper,  when  he  was  suddenly  accosted 
by  a  familiar  voice  with : 

"  Golly!  massa  Stevens,  am  dat  you?" 

"  Job,  where  have  you  come  from?" 

"  Everywhar,  Massa.  I  done  been  rovin'  de 
worl'  over  huntin'  for  de  massa  I  belong  to  when 


358  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

I  war  taken  by  de  Britishers;  but  I  can't  find  him. 
Whar  ye  gwine?" 

Fernando  explained,  and  the  negro  said: 

"Golly!  yegoin'  dar?" 

"Yes,  Job." 

"  De  ship  what  am  goin'  ter  bombard  dat  town 
am  de  Xenoplwn." 

"  Xenophon!  "  cried  Fernando;  "  surely  Provi- 
dence must  be  in  this. " 

Job  volunteered  at  once  to  accompany  the  rifle- 
men, and,  having  some  knowledge  of  gunnery,  his 
services  were  very  acceptable. 

At  dusk,  with  competent  guides,  Fernando  set 
out  for  the  village. 

Five  years  had  been  added  to  the  weight  with 
which  time  was  crushing  Captain  Lane;  but  his 
spirit  was  still  as  undaunted  as  ever,  and  when  he 
found  the  town  threatened  by  a  British  cruiser, 
he  hastily  organized  the  people  into  militia  com- 
panies, and  began  throwing  up  a  line  of  earthworks, 
which  extended  from  his  own  house  to  the  lowest 
extremity  of  the  village. 

The  plan  of  the  breastwork  was  well  laid  and 
executed;  but  the  artillery  was  poorly  mounted 
and  they  were  sadly  in  need  of  experienced  gun- 
ners. 

"  Father,    don't   exert  yourself    until   you    are 


THE  CRUISER'S   THREAT.  359 

sick  !"  said  Morgianna,  when  her  father  came  home 
one  evening  exhausted.  "  Surely,  if  the  British 
come,  they  will  not  harm  us.  " 

"  My  child,  the  plunderers  have  sacked  other 
towns  and  insulted  the  inhabitants,  and  why  not 
ours  ?  " 

"  But  no  ship  is  in  sight.  " 

"  No  ;  yet  one  has  been  hovering  about  the  coast 
and  Tris  Penrose,  who  was  far  out  in  his  fishing 
smack  to  reconnoitre,  says  it  is  the  Xenophon.  " 

"  The  Xenophon  !  "  and  the  pretty  face  grew  pale. 
She  remembered  that  that  vessel,  five  years  before, 
had  paid  the  village  a  friendly  visit.  Captain 
Lane  was  watching  her  closely.  She  knew  it  and 
guessed  the  reason.  After  a  moment's  silence, 
she  asked  : 

"  Father,  isn't  Lieutenant  Matson  on  the 


"  I  suppose  he  is.  " 

"  Surely  he  is  your  friend.  " 

"  In  war  there  are  no  friends  among  the  enemy, 
child,  and  no  enemy  among  friends.  We  are  sim- 
ply Americans  or  British.  " 

"  Yet,  father,  there  are  personal  ties  stronger 
than  loyalty  to  nation  or  political  party.  " 

The  old  man  heard  her  argument  with  evident 
anxiety.  He  loved  his  little  sea-waif  as  ardently 
as  ever  father  loved  a  child,  and  for  five  years  he 


360  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

fancied  and  feared  she  loved  the  lieutenant  of  the 
Xenophon. 

"  True,  child,  you  speak  the  truth,  yet  my  heart 
tells  me  that  we  cannot  trust  to  friendship  now, 
seeing  that  this  quarrel  has  grown  so  bitter. "  He 
was  sorry  to  say  this,  for  he  felt  that  every  word 
he  uttered  was  like  a  dagger  at  the  heart  of  Mor- 
gianna.  After  a  painful  silence,  the  old,  white- 
haired  seaman  added,  "  Forgive  me,  Morgianna ; 
but  I  am  an  old  man,  and  I  may  not  look  at  things 
as  you  do.  I  love  my  country  and  her  flag.  I 
have  seen  our  poor  sailors  too  often  enslaved  to  be 
a  friend  to  any  Englishman  while  the  war  lasts. " 

"  What  do  you  mean,  father?" 

"  You  love  him,  Morgianna.  I  felt  it,  I  knew 
it  all  along,  but  I  couldn't  help  it.  I  knew  I 
ought  to  do  something,  but,  child,  I  didn't  know 
what  to  do.  If  you  had  had  a  mother  she  could 
have  advised  you,  but  I  didn't." 

"  Father,  you  talk  so  strangely ;  what  do  you 
mean?" 

"  I  knew  all  along,  my  child,  that  }rou  loved 
him ;  but  Lieutenant  Matson  is  a  bad  one,  even  if 
he  is  the  son  of  my  old  friend.  I  could  see  the 
devil  glinting  in  his  eyes,  and  the  mock  of  his 
smile,  when  he  met  the  young  Ohioan  here  five 
years  ago.  He's  a  bad  man  accompanied  with  foul 
weather  wherever  he  goes,  and  I  know  it  just  so 


THE  CRUISER'S   THREAT.  361 

long  as  I  know  the  cat's  paw,  the  white  creeping 
mist,  like  a  dirty  thing  which  makes  me  cry  out 
to  my  crew,  'All  hands  to  reef!  Quick!  All 
hands  to  reef !' "  The  old  man  was  silent  for  a  mo- 
ment, smoking  his  pipe,  while  his  eyes  were  on 
the  floor.  Had  he  looked  up,  he  would  have  seen 
a  decidedly  mischievous  look  in  the  face  of  Mor- 
gianna,  which  certainly  did  not  indicate  that  she 
was  seriously  affected.  After  a  few  moments, 
without  looking  up,  the  old  man  with  a  sigh  con- 
tinued : 

"  Ah,  my  little  maid,  if  you  could  only  have 
listened  a  bit  to  the  noble  Ohioan ; — if  it  could  have 
been  him  instead  of  Matson,  love  and  patriotism 
could  have  gone  hand  in  hand.  The  night  we 
went  to  the  cliff,  I  thought  you  did  like  him;  but 
it  was  not  to  be.  'Tis  dreadful!  dreadful!  why 
did  God  make  woman  so?  Poor  Fernando;  there 
was  good  love  going  a-begging  and  getting  nothing 
for  it  but  a  frown  and  a  hard  word ;  while — "  he 
did  not  finish  the  sentence,  for  a  pair  of  white  arms 
were  put  around  his  neck,  and  a  voice  as  sweet  as 
the  rippling  music  of  the  hillside  brook  said : 

"  Never  fret  yourself,  father,  for  Morgianna 
loves  you  first  of  all  and  best  of  all,"  and  she 
slipped  on  his  knee  and  kissed  away  the  anxious 
cloud  gathering  on  his  brow.  The  old  man  was 
quite  overcome  by  this  caress,  and  before  he  could 


362  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

make  any  answer  there  came  a  heavy  tread  on  the 
piazza,  a  heavy  knock,  and  a  moment  later  a  ser- 
vant announced,  Tris  Penrose  and  John  Burrel. 
They  were  admitted  and  Penrose,  who  had  made 
another  reconnoisance  that  afternoon  in  his  fishing 
yacht,  said: 

"  Aw,  captain,  I  be  just  returned,  and  having 
somewhat  of  importance  to  impart  I  came  to  tell 
you." 

Captain  Lane  asked  the  Cornish  fisherman  to  be 
seated  and  asked: 

"  What  have  you  seen,  Tris?" 

"  You  see,  captain,  it  be  like  this.  I  be  out  at 
sea  beyond  the  bay,  and  I  see  a  great  ship  beating 
up  in  the  bay  against  wind  and  tide,  and  I  watch 
her  for  a  long  time  as  she  do  go  first  on  one  tack 
and  then  on  the  other,  until  I  make  sure  she  be 
heading  for  Mariana,  and  I  hasten  to  tell,  with  all 
sail." 

Burrel  explained  that  from  the  farthest  point  of 
Duck  Island  the  vessel  had  been  sighted,  and  that 
there  was  no  longer  any  question  of  her  destina- 
tion. Captain  Lane  rose  to  go  down  to  the  village, 
where  the  greatest  excitement  prevailed.  Turning 
to  Morgianna,  he  asked : 

"  Will  you  be  afraid  to  remain  here,  my  gem  o' 
the  sea?" 

"  No,  father. " 


THE  CRUISER'S  THREAT.  363 

The  captain  went  and  quieted  the  people.  A 
strong  breeze  was  blowing  from  the  land,  and  he 
knew  full  well  that  the  Xenophon  could  riot  possi- 
bly come  near  enough  to  harm  them  for  several 
hours.  He  gave  some  directions  concerning  the 
strengthening  of  the  fort,  and  went  home  and  re- 
tired to  bed. 

Next  morning  the  ship-of-war,  the  Xenophon 
was  reported  lying  without  the  harbor,  and  at 
noon,  being  unable,  owing  to  contrary  winds,  to 
enter  the  harbor,  they  saw  her  long-boats  landing 
troops  on  the  northern  point  of  land.  Soldiers  to 
the  number  of  two  hundred  were  landed  on  the 
point  of  land,  which,  two  miles  north  of  Duck 
Island,  projected  far  out  into  the  sea  and  was  called 
O'Connor's  Point.  Mariana  was  situated  on  a 
peninsula  from  half  a  mile  to  two  miles  wide  and 
the  troops  hurried  to  the  narrowest  neck  of  this 
peninsula  where  they  halted  and  proceeded  to 
throw  up  light  earthworks,  so  as  to  completely  cut 
off  all  retreat  of  the  inhabitants. 

That  evening  some  officers  and  a  marine  guard 
with  a  white  flag  were  seen  coming  down  the  great 
road  leading  from  the  neck  of  the  peninsula  to  the 
mainland  and  thence  to  Baltimore.  Many  of  the 
inhabitants  recognized  Lieutenant  Matson  before 
he  came  to  the  fort.  They  were  halted  and  asked 
what  they  wanted. 


364  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Lieutenant  Matson  stated  that  it  was  his  wish  to 
see  Captain  Lane. 

Mounting  the  earthworks,  Captain  Lane  asked : 

"  Do  you  come  in  peace  or  in  war?" 

"  In  peace. " 

"  Then,  as  the  son  of  an  old  friend,  you  are  wel- 
come. You  can  send  back  your  guard  and  flag  of 
truce,  for  I  am  sufficient  surety  for  your  safety." 

The  lieutenant  told  his  guard  to  retire,  while  he 
went  over  the  parapet  and  ascended  the  hill  to  the 
great  white  house.  Lieutenant  Matson  was  very 
grave  and  silent,  when  they  reached  the  house, 
which  was  lighted,  for  it  was  now  growing  dark. 
Captain  Lane  asked  his  visitor  to  be  seated  and 
said: 

"  Now,  Lieutenant  Matson,  you  may  proceed 
with  your  business." 

A  pair  of  soft,  dark  eyes  were  fixed  on  them 
from  a  door  which  was  slightly  ajar,  and  even  the 
darkness  seemed  lighter  from  the  glow  of  golden 
hair.  The  lieutenant's  back  was  toward  this  room, 
and  he  did  not  see  the  beautiful,  anxious  face  and 
roguish  eyes.  Lieutenant  Matson,  after  a  brief 
silence,  said: 

"  Captain  Lane,  I  am  come  on  a  matter  of  busi- 
ness in  which  friendship  and  regard  are  mingled. 
Believe  me  that,  had  it  not  been  for  my  great 
esteem  for  yourself  and  Morgianna,  I  should  have 


THE  CRUISER'S   THREAT.  365 

sent  an  under  officer  with  my  message  instead  of 
bringing  it  myself. " 

Captain  Lane  bowed  and  hoped  that  Lieutenant 
Matson  would  not  allow  friendship  to  stand  in  the 
way  of  duty.  Lieutenant  Matson  continued: 

"  First,  I  have  come,  captain,  to  demand  of  you 
the  surrender  of  this  post, — that  is,  of  all  the  gov- 
ernment stores  in  it,  assuring  you  that  private 
property  shall  not  be  molested,  and  the  men  in 
arms  shall  be  treated  as  prisoners  of  war. " 

Without  a  moment's  hesitation,  the  old  sea  cap- 
tain answered: 

"  I  refuse  to  comply  with  your  demand. " 

"  Surely,  Captain  Lane,  you  must  know  that  you 
cannot  hope  to  resist  the  Xenophon.  Her  heavy 
guns  will  soon  batter  down  your  walls  and  destroy 
your  houses. " 

"  When  that  is  done,  it  will  be  time  enough  to 
think  of  surrendering. " 

"  Surely  you  do  not  know  that  Washington  is 
burned  and  Baltimore  surrounded.  All  night  long 
the  fleet  bombarded  the  town. " 

"  Yes,  we  could  hear  the  roar  of  cannon  even 
here." 

"Well,  you  must  ultimately  surrender." 

Lieutenant  Matson  was  greatly  distressed  by  the 
stubbornness  of  Captain  Lane.  He  reminded  him 
of  the  helpless  women  and  children  in  the  town, 


366  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

and  asked  him,  for  their  sakes,  to  consider  the 
crime  of  resisting;  but  it  was  all  in  vain.  Cap- 
tain Lane  had  been  chosen  by  the  people  to  defend 
them,  and  he  swore  he  was  no  Hull  to  yield  at  the 
sight  of  an  enemy. 

"No,  sir;  when  our  guns  are  dismounted,  our 
walls  battered  down,  our  houses  burned,  and  there 
is  not  a  man  able  to  hold  a  lanyard,  then  it  is  time 
to  think  of  surrendering. " 

"  Very  well,  Captain,  if  such  is  your  resolution, 
I  must  leave  you ;  but  permit  me  to  conduct  Miss 
Morgianna  to  a  place  of  safety.  She  would  be 
safe  on  board  the  Xenophon  and  I  offer  her " 

"What!"  interrupted  Captain  Lane,  his  eyes 
flashing  fire.  "  Lieutenant  Matson,  do  you  wish 
to  insult  me?" 

"  No,  Captain  Lane,  I  merely  wish  to  secure  the 
safety  of  Morgianna. " 

"Morgianna!  Morgianna!"  called  the  old  man, 
starting  to  his  feet  and  pacing  the  floor  anxiously. 

"Here,  father!"  and,  clothed  in  spotless  white, 
looking  like  some  celestial  being  just  reached  this 
earth,  Morgianna  entered  the  room.  "  What  do 
you  want,  father?"  she  asked,  paying  no  heed  to 
the  lieutenant,  who  had  risen  to  his  feet  with  a 
most  gracious  smile  and  bow. 

"  Morgianna,  Lieutenant  Matson  announces  that 
the  English  frigate  Xenophon  is  coming  to  destroy 


THE  CRUISER'S  THREAT. 


367 


our  town  and  kill  our  people.  lie  offers  you  a 
place  on  board  that  vessel  where  he  says  you  will 
be  safe.  Do  you  accept  it?" 

"No!"  she  answered,  stamping  one  little  slip- 


"MY  FATHER  WILL  PROTECT  ME;  I  WANT  NO  OTHER 
PROTECTION." 

pered  foot  on  the  floor.  Then  going  to  the  cap- 
tain's side,  she  laid  her  head  on  his  shoulder  and 
said: 

"  My  father  will  protect  me ;    I  want  no  other 
protection. " 


368  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"Morgianna,"  began  the  baffled  lieutenant,  "I 
would  like  a  word  with  you  in  private " 

"  Lieutenant  Matson,  I  don't  care  to  hear  you — 
I  will  not  listen  to  you.  As  my  father's  friend,  I 
once  did  tolerate  you;  but  now,  as  my  country's 
enemy,  I  have  no  forbearance  with  you.  Begone !" 
and  her  white,  jeweled  hand  pointed  to  the  door. 

The  Briton's  face  flushed  crimson,  as  he  retorted : 

"  Morgianna,  you  may  regret " 

"Lieutenant  Matson!"  interrupted  the  captain 
fiercely.  "  Not  another  word,  lest  I  forget  your 
father  was  my  mate.  Begone!" 

With  an  oath,  Matson  left  the  town  and  re- 
turned to  his  men  on  the  neck  of  the  peninsula. 
When  he  was  gone,  Captain  Lane  turned  to  his 
daughter  and  was  surprised  to  see  a  look  of  con- 
tempt instead  of  the  grief  he  had  expected.  That 
one  glance  convinced  him  that  he  had  been  mis- 
taken, and  that  she  did  not  love  the  Englishman 
after  all. 

"  Father,  that  man's  true  spirit  was  revealed  to- 
night. Even  though  he  is  your  old  friend's  son, 
he  is  a  villain. " 

Next  day  some  of  the  Marylanders  had  a  skir- 
mish with  the  British  on  the  neck  of  land,  and  one 
of  the  villagers  was  wounded.  The  Xenophon 
still  hovered  near  the  mouth  of  the  narrow  harbor 
and  only  waited  a  favorable  wind  to  enter  the  bay, 


THE  CRUISER'S   THREAT.  369 

and  commence  the  siege  which  could  have  but  one 
result. 

Captain  Lane  strove  hard  to  be  cheerful ;  but  his 
heart  was  heavier  than  lead.  Again  night  came, 
with  the  Xenophon  anchored  off  Mud  Island.  The 
night  was  dark,  and  the  wind  from  shore  strong, 
so  that  Captain  Lane  knew  she  could  not  enter  the 
harbor. 

He  was  sitting  at  his  fireside,  when  suddenly 
from  the  narrow  inlet  south  of  the  peninsula  there 
rang  out  a  volley  of  musketry  followed  by  wild 
cries  and  cheers.  The  volley  was  followed  by 
heavy  firing,  and  Captain  Lane,  donning  his  hat, 
snatched  his  sword  and  ran  down  to  the  works, 
where  the  drum  was  beating,  and  the  Marylanders 
were  seizing  muskets  and  falling  into  line. 

"What  is  it?  whom  have  they  attacked?"  was 
the  general  query  asked  by  all.  The  pickets  were 
called  in  and  the  only  sentries  were  the  chain 
guards  just  outside  the  parapet.  Suddenly  the 
sound  of  footsteps  came  from  the  darkness,  and  the 
sentries  knew  that  two  or  three  men  were  running 
toward  them.  Zeb  Cole,  a  large,  powerful  Mary- 
lander,  finding  one  of  them  coming  directly  at  him, 
dropped  his  musket  and,  seizing  the  fellow's  throat, 
hurled  him  to  the  ground. 

"Halt!    ye  wanderin'  Israelite.     Stop  an'  tell 
me  who  you  are?" 
24 


370  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"Oh,  let  go  me,  massa,  lem  me  up!"  pleaded 
the  captive,  struggling  to  his  feet.  "  I  ain't  no 
Britisher!  dar  ain't  no  Angler  Saxun  blood  in 
dese  veins.  I  is  a  Yankee  nigger,  massa,  bet  I 
am." 

Another  man  who  had  come  up  at  a  run  cried  in 
language  in  which  the  Hibernian  was  plainly  dis- 
tinguishable : 

"  Hould  hard,  ye  hay  thin!  The  redcoats  are 
afther  us!" 

"Who  be  ye?"  demanded  Zeb. 

"  The  advance  guard  of  two  hundred  Americans 
comin'  to  help  ye  whip  the  Britisher.  Jist  as  we 
landed,  afther  crossing  the  mouth  of  the  creek, 
the  dirthy  spalpeens  fired  on  us;  but  we  drove 
thim  back,  and  here  come  our  boys  at  double 
quick. " 

Terrence  was  correct,  for  Fernando  and  his  rifle- 
men having  cut  their  way  through  the  British, 
hurried  into  the  fort.  Captain  Lane  was  amazed 
to  find  their  friends  led  by  the  young  Ohioan, 
whom  he  had  entertained  at  his  house  five  years 
before. 

"  Did  you  lose  any  of  your  men  in  the  skirmish?" 
asked  Captain  Lane. 

"  Two  were  wounded,  none  killed  or  missing. 
Has  the  Xenophon  commenced  the  bombardment 
yet?" 


THE  CRUISER'S   THREAT.  371 

"  No;  but  she  will  as  soon  as  the  wind  shifts  to 
bring  her  in. " 

"  How  many  men  have  you  capable  of  bearing 
arms,  Captain  Lane?"  asked  Fernando. 

"  Almost  two  hundred. " 

"  I  have  two  hundred  more,  we  will  die  together 
or  beat  off  the  ship. " 

"  Did  General  Winder  send  you  to  defend  the 
town?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Then  I  will  serve  under  you,  Captain  Stevens." 

Fernando  tried  to  get  the  old  captain  to  assume 
command ;  but  he  said  he  was  too  old ;  that  he 
would  gladly  advise  him  and  serve  with  him  and 
under  him ;  but  he  did  not  want  the  responsibility 
of  the  command.  Then,  all  being  quiet,  Captain 
Lane  went  to  his  house  to  sleep  and  rest. 

"  He  is  gone, "  said  Fernando  when  left  alone  near 
the  big  gun ;  "  gone  and  not  a  word  said  about 
Morgianna.  What  will  she  say,  what  will  she 
think,  when  she  knows  it  is  I  who  came  to  defend 
her?" 

Fernando  sighed  and  was  very  unhappy. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

THE   SAVING   SHOT. 

LITTLE  or  nothing  could  be  done  by  Captain 
Stevens  that  night.  His  men  were  exhausted,  and 
threw  themselves  down  anywhere  and  everywhere. 
The  proprietor  of  the  tavern  took  Fernando,  Sukey, 
Terrence  and  Lieutenant  Willard  of  the  marines  to 
his  house,  where  they  were  furnished  beds  and 
slept  soundly. 

The  morning  of  September  14,  1814,  came. 
Fernando,  at  his  request,  was  awakened  early,  and 
with  Lieutenant  Willard  went  out  to  examine  the 
fort  and  artillery.  It  was  scarcely  daylight  when 
they  mounted  the  works  and  gazed  off  the  bay. 
They  could  not  see  as  far  as  Duck  and  Mud  Islands, 
and  sat  down  upon  the  gun  carriages  to  await  the 
rising  of  the  sun. 

A  hundred  stalwart  Marylanders  came  from  their 
houses  with  axes,  picks  and  shovels,  ready  to  re- 
sume work  on  the  redoubt. 

"  Lieutenant   Willard, "   said   Fernando,    "  your 
judgment  is  perhaps  better  than  mine.     Will  you 
give  these  men  direction  in  regard  to  the  works?" 
372 


THE  SAVING  SHOT.  373 

Lieutenant  Willard  mounted  the  earthworks  and 
walked  along  the  entire  line,  closely  inspecting 
them  and  directing  the  improvement  of  what  was 
already  quite  a  formidable  fortification. 

The  guns  were  next  examined  and  changed  so 
as  to  more  completely  sweep  the  bay.  While  the 
lieutenant  was  doing  this,  Fernando,  with  three  or 
four  fishermen  went  down  to  the  water  with  a  glass 
to  take  a  look  for  the  Xenophon.  She  could  be 
seen  still  anchored  off  Mud  Island. 

"  The  vind  be  strong  off  shore, "  said  Tris  Pen- 
rose  the  Cornish  fisherman.  "  Aw,  she  cannot  sail 
in  the  teeth  o'  it. " 

"  How  far  is  it  to  Mud  Island?"  asked  Fernando. 

"  It  be  about  five  mile, "  the  fisherman  answered. 

"  I  am  going  out  to  that  headland ! "  he  said 
pointing  to  the  rocky  promontory. 

"It  be  dangerous,  Capen;  the  ship's  big  guns, 
they  reach  to  the  headland ;"  but  Fernando  insisted 
on  being  rowed  to  the  headland,  and  four  fisher- 
men, including  Tris  Penrose,  took  him  to  it  in  a 
boat.  The  memories  this  early  morning  visit  awoke 
in  his  breast  are  indescribable.  Years  seemed  to 
have  been  rolled  back,  and  he  was  once  more  with 
Morgianna,  within  the  pale  of  hope.  Ascending 
the  promontory,  he  saw  the  Xenophon  lying  at  an- 
chor not  over  three  or  four  miles  away.  Two  boats 
loaded  down  with  marines  put  off  from  the  ship 


374  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

and  rowed  to  the  point  of  land  half  a  uiile  away. 
There  they  landed,  formed,  and  marched  to  rein- 
force Matson  on  the  neck  of  the  peninsula.  Three 
hundred  men  and  two  small  cannon  were  now  on 
land. 

Fernando  went  back,  convinced  that  for  some 
hours  at  least  the  attack  would  be  delayed.  Lieu- 
tenant Willard  was  working  with  a  will  to 
strengthen  the  redoubt.  Bomb-proof  apartments 
were  made  for  the  women  and  children.  They 
were  still  uncertain  of  the  fate  of  Baltimore,  and 
knew  that  the  whole  coast  was  threatened  by  the 
British  fleet. 

While  sitting  at  breakfast,  Fernando  received  a 
note  from  Captain  Lane  informing  him  that  a  sud- 
den attack  of  rheumatism  prevented  him  from  leav- 
ing his  bed,  and  asked  him  to  call  at  the  house  if 
he  wished  to  consult  him.  Never  in  his  life  was 
Fernando  more  glad  to  receive  a  summons,  and 
never  did  he  so  dread  answering  it. 

"  I  am  foolish !"  he  thought.  "  She  cares  nothing 
for  me.  She  has  told  me  as  much,  and  she  cannot 
have  changed  her  mind.  I  will  go,  but  as  the 
commandant  and  not  as  a  supplicant — or  lover. " 

Fernando  was  in  the  uniform  of  a  captain  of 
infantry  of  1812,  the  handsomest  uniform  ever 
adopted  by  the  American  army.  His  dark  blue 
coat,  buttoned  to  his  chin,  his  sash,  his  belt  and 


THE  SAVING  SHOT.  375 

gilt  sword,  his  chapeau-bras  with  flowing  plume, 
set  off  his  manly  form. 

Fernando,  as  he  ascended  the  path  to  the  house, 
did  not  dream  that  he  was  heroic  or  fine-look- 
ing. 

When  he  reached  the  house,  he  paused  a  mo- 
ment on  the  piazza,  just  as  he  had  on  that  evening 
five  years  before,  to  school  his  rebellious  heart. 
To  his  knock  a  servant  answered,  and  he  was  hur- 
ried up  to  the  room  of  Captain  Lane.  At  every 
corner  he  expected  Morgianna;  but  she  did  not 
appear.  Perhaps  she  was  with  her  father;  but  no, 
the  captain  was  alone. 

"  It's  too  bad,  Captain  Stevens,"  the  old  sea-dog 
declared.  "  Here  I  am  with  this  infernal  rheuma- 
tism holding  me  down  like  an  anchor,  when  we  are 
threatened  with  a  squall. " 

"Don't  trouble  yourself,  captain,"  said  Fer- 
nando. "  I  fancy  there  are  young  men  enough  to 
fight  our  battles. " 

"  But  one  likes  to  have  a  hand  in  such  affairs, 
you  know." 

"  Certainly,  but  don't  worry  yourself.  The 
wind  is  still  off  shore,  and  the  bay  is  so  narrow 
that,  unless  they  get  out  a  warp,  they  cannot  haul 
in  the  Xenophon." 

"  I  have  wondered  they  did  not  do  that  before, " 
said  the  old  sailor.  "  It  could  be  done. " 


376  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"  Perhaps  they  have  some  other  plan.  They 
landed  a  hundred  more  men  this  morning. " 

"  They  can't  be  going  to  make  a  land  attack. " 

"  No,  the  land  forces  are  to  cut  off  retreat. " 

"It's  that  infernal  Matson — Lieutenant  Matson 
— curse  him !  He  is  the  son  of  my  friend ;  but  I 
say  curse  him,  for  all  that!"  cried  the  old  sea-dog, 
his  face  expressing  mingled  rage  and  agony. 

"  Is  he  in  command?"  asked  Fernando.  Before 
either  could  speak,  a  light  tread  warned  Fernando 
that  a  third  person  had  entered  the  room.  He 
started  to  his  feet  and,  turning  about,  bowed  to 
Morgianna. 

"  Captain  Stevens,  I  am  proud  to  welcome  you 
back  to  Mariana ;  but  I  am  sorry  it  could  not  have 
been  under  other  circumstances. "  She  was  beau- 
tiful— more  beautiful  than  when  he  left ;  but  there 
was  not  expressed  by  either  voice,  eye,  or  flushed 
cheek  any  symptom  of  a  more  tender  regard  than 
friendship.  Fernando  had  so  schooled  himself, 
that,  as  he  took  her  .hand,  he  said  in  a  most  com- 
monplace manner: 

"  I  was  sent  here,  Miss  Lane.  I  am  a  soldier, 
and  wherever  duty  calls,  I  go,  be  it  pleasant  or 
unpleasant. " 

Morgianna  was  not  prepared  for  this.  The  cool, 
off-hand  manner  seemed  to  hardly  indicate  the  re- 
spect of  friendship.  Her  face  grew  deathly  pale 


THE  SAVING  SHOT.  877 

for  a  moment,  and  she  almost  ceased  breathing; 
but  she  gained  her  self-control,  and,  in  a  tone  as 
commonplace  and  cool  as  his  own,  hoped  he  was 
well  and  that  he  would  not  be  killed  in  the  coming 
struggle.  The  coming  struggle  with  the  Xenophon 
was  nothing  compared  to  his  present  struggle. 
Fernando  still  loved  Morgianna.  Five  years  had 
only  added  to  the  intensity  of  his  love ;  but  he  had 
once  made  a  simpleton  of  himself,  and  he  deter- 
mined not  to  do  so  again.  Thus  two  hungry  souls, 
thirsting  for  each  other's  love,  acted  the  cold  part 
of  casual  acquaintances.  Could  the  veil  have  been 
lifted,  could  the  barriers  have  been  broken  down, 
what  misery  might  have  been  spared !  but  it  is  ever 
thus.  Humanity  is  contradictory  and  the  heart's 
impulses  are  held  in  check. 

"Miss  Lane,  this  house  cannot  be  a  safe  place 
in  the  coming  struggle, "  said  Fernando.  "  We 
have  prepared  bomb-proof  shelters  for  the  women 
and  children,  and  I  hope  you  will  accept  refuge  in 
one." 

She  said  something  about  her  father. 

"  He  shall  be  cared  for.  I  hope  you  will  let 
me  send  a  sergeant  with  a  dozen  men  to  convey 
you  both  to  a  place  of  safety. " 

She  assented,  and  he  left.  Her  face  was  still 
white,  her  chin  was  quivering,  and  her  eyes  were 
growing  moist. 


378  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"What's  the  matter,  Morgianna?"  asked  Cap- 
tain Lane. 

She  did  not  venture  an  answer,  but  running  to 
her  own  room,  fell  weeping  on  the  couch. 

"  After  five  long  years,  to  return  so  changed — 
so  cold — oh,  God,  this  punishment  is  greater  than 
I  can  bear!"  she  sobbed. 

By  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  the  wind  changed 
slightly,  shifting  to  the  northeast,  and  some  activ- 
ity was  evinced  on  board  the  Xenophon.  Fernando 
thought  longer  delay  was  dangerous.  Captain  Lane 
and  his  daughter,  with  all  other  women  and  chil- 
dren, were  conveyed  to  the  bomb-proof  houses, 
which  had  been  constructed  for  them.  He  was  so 
busy  all  that  day,  that  he  only  caught  an  occasional 
glimpse  of  Morgianna. 

When  night  came,  the  Xenophon  had  left  her 
moorings,  and  Fernando  predicted  she  would  be 
brought  in  broadside  to  begin  the  cannonade  at 
daybreak.  He  retired  to  his  bed  at  eleven  o'clock 
and  at  four  Lieutenant  Willard  came  to  him  and 
said:  "  Captain,  the  wind  has  shifted  due  east." 

"  How  is  the  night?" 

"  Dark  and  cloudy. " 

"  Can  anything  be  seen  of  the  Xenophon  ?" 

"No." 

"  Send  a  dozen  men  to  the  promontory  and  build 
a  fire.  The  light  would  show  her  to  us. " 


THE  SAVING  SHOT.  379 

A  dozen  bold  fishermen,  who  knew  the  coast 
well,  went  out  in  their  boats,  hugging  the  rocky 
shore  until  the  promontory  was  gained,  and  gather- 
ing up  great  heaps  of  driftwood  on  the  edge  of  the 
bluff,  set  it  on  fire,  and  pulled  back. 

As  the  flames  shot  up,  they  revealed  the  Xeno- 
phon  slowly  and  carefully  feeling  her  way  into  the 
bay.  Not  a  shot  was  fired,  for  she  was  still  far 
away. 

Thus  the  night  wore  on.  Day  began  to  dawn 
slowly,  and  as  the  first  light  fell  on  bay  and  sea 
it  revealed  the  dread  enemy  lying  like  a  monster 
sea-bird  in  the  bay,  not  a  mile  away. 

The  Xenophon  was  in  no  hurry  to  commence. 
She  had  her  prey  so  that  there  was  no  possible 
chance  of  escape,  and  the  officers  and  men  ate 
breakfast  and  walked  about  the  deck,  talking  and 
joking  on  the  work  before  them.  Through  a  pow- 
erful glass,  which  Captain  Lane  furnished  him, 
Fernando  recognized  Captain  Snipes  standing  on 
the  quarter  deck,  smoking  a  cigar. 

Fernando  had  the  guns  loaded  and  shotted. 
They  were  sighted  and  ready  when  the  Xenophon 
should  take  the  initiative. 

"  Say,  Capen,  dat  Britisher  doan  git  dis  chile 
no  more,"  said  Job.  "  I  can't  find  my  real  massa, 
but,  by  golly,  I've  saved  up  fifty  dollars  to  buy  a 
new  one,  'fore  I  go  for  to  be  a  Britisher  agin." 


380  SUSTAINED  HOXOR. 

Before  Fernando  could  answer,  Sukey  came  run- 
ning along  the  breastwork  and  said : 

"Fernando!  Fernando — he  is  there!  Captain 
Snipes  is  aboard  that  ship!" 

Sukey 's  face  was  deathly  white,  and  his  fingers 
convulsively  clutched  the  air  as  if  grasping  at  an 
imaginary  throat. 

Fernando  was  standing  on  the  parapet,  when  a 
wreath  of  smoke  curled  up  from  the  ship's  side, 
followed  by  the  boom  of  a  heavy  gun,  and  a  ball 
came  whizzing  through  the  air,  and  struck  the 
breastwork. 

It  was  nine  minutes  after  ten  o'clock  when  the 
first  shot  was  fired.  This  shot  was  the  signal  for 
a  broadside,  and  a  shower  of  balls  with  three  or 
four  shells  came  screaming  through  the  air  striking 
the  walls  of  the  fort,  or  exploding  over  it.  One 
of  the  shells  buried  itself  in  the  sand  but  a  few 
feet  from  Fernando,  and  burst,  scattering  sand  and 
gravel  over  him. 

"Fire!"  cried  Fernando,  without  moving  from 
his  position. 

Immediately  the  thirty-two  pounder  and  four 
smaller  guns  belched  forth  fire  and  thunder.  Fer- 
nando watched  the  effect  through  the  glass.  The 
thirty-two  went  wild,  and  the  shots  from  the 
smaller  pieces  fell  short.  He  turned  and  gave 
some  instructions  to  the  gunners,  while  a  shell 


THE  SAVING  SHOT.  381 

came  screaming  over  his  head  and  burst  a  short 
distance  away,  killing  one  of  the  marines. 

"  Fernando,  there  ain't  no  need  of  you  standing 
up  there !"  cried  Sukey.  "  You  ain't  in  the  game, 
till  we  get  near  enough  to  use  rifles." 

"  Divil  a  bit  will  the  blackguards  iver  come  near 
enough  for  that,"  cried  Terrence,  boldly  mounting 
the  breastwork.  "  Captain,  lave  me  have  a  squint 
through  yer  glass,"  and  Terrence,  assuming  a  lib- 
erty which  he  only  could,  took  the  glass  from  his 
hand.  The  screaming  shell  and  whistling  shot 
continued  to  come  from  the  Xenophon.  "  Faith, 
thim  bees  buzz  nicely  round  a  fellow's  ears, "  added 
Terrence. 

Fernando  seized  his  glass,  when  the  thirty -two 
was  again  sighted  and  fixed  it  on  the  ship.  As 
the  heavy  boom  shook  the  earth,  he  saw  a  great 
splash  of  water  twelve  feet  from  the  bow. 

"Let  some  one  else  train  the  gun,"  he  cried. 
"  You  miss  the  mark." 

All  appeals  to  Fernando  to  come  down  from  his 
dangerous  position  were  unavailing.  His  anxiety 
to  pierce  the  Xenophon  with  the  thirty-two  kept 
him  on  the  parapet  directing  the  gunners,  while 
balls  and  shells  shrieked  about  him.  Job  tried 
three  shots;  but  only  one  did  any  injury,  and  that 
was  some  insignificant  damage  to  the  rigging. 
Fernando  saw  at  once  their  disadvantage. 


382  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"  Oh,  if  we  only  had  one  experienced  gunner, 
he  would  drive  the  ship  from  the  harbor,"  he 
thought. 

Lieutenant  Willard  tried  three  or  four  shots,  and 
one  struck  the  bow.  With  glass  in  hand,  Fernando 
remained  on  the  earthworks,  watching  the  effect  of 
their  balls  and  giving  orders  to  the  gunners,  while 
balls  and  shells  flew  screaming  around  him.  .One 
shell  exploded  near  the  embrasure  of  one  of  the 
smaller  guns  killing  one  and  wounding  four.  As 
yet,  they  had  not  touched  one  of  the  enemy,  and 
the  young  commandant  was  chagrined,  anxious  and 
annoyed.  He  lost  his  temper  and  raved  at  the 
gunners,  who  were  doing  their  best.  They  lacked 
science. 

His  brave  riflemen  stood  under  the  earthworks, 
grasping  their  guns  which  were  useless  now,  while 
they  lamented  that  the  Britons  were  not  in  range. 

Officers,  citizens  and  even  privates  implored  Fer- 
nando to  come  down.  A  shell  exploded  in  the  air, 
and  a  piece  grazed  his  shoulder,  yet  he,  kept  his 
place  on  the  rampart.  Terrence  Malone,  who  could 
see  no  reason  for  courting  death,  had  sought  shelter 
behind  a  gun  carriage.  Fernando's  anxiety  and 
mortification  increased  as  he  witnessed  the  repeated 
failures  of  his  gunners  to  hull  the  Xenophon.  Amid 
smoke,  dust  and  whizzing  missiles,  he  kept  his 
post.  The  thunder  of  guns,  the  whizzing  balls, 


THE  SAVING  SHOT.  383 

and  shrieking  shells  were  unheard   in    his   great 
anxiety  to  defeat  the  British. 

Suddenly  a  hand  clutched  his  arm,  and  a  silvery 
voice,  which  he  recognized  in  an  instant,  cried: 

"  This  is  folly !  Come  down — come  down  from 
this  certain  death!" 

"  Morgianna,  you  here!"  he  cried.  "  For  Heav- 
en's sake,  go  to  the  bomb-proof  shelter.  You  must 
not  expose  yourself  here. " 

"  I  will  not  go  a  step  until  you  come  from  the 
rampart."  She  clung  to  him,  and  appealed  so 
earnestly,  the  tears  of  anxiety  and  fear  starting 
from  her  eyes,  while  her  white,  pleading  face  was 
upturned  to  his,  that  he  could  not  deny  her.  All 
other  appeals  had  been  unheeded ;  but  Morgianna's 
he  could  not  refuse. 

A  wild  cheer  went  up  from  the  Americans  within 
the  fort  as  Morgianna  descended  from  the  redoubt 
with  the  daring  captain.  He  hurried  her  away  to 
the  bomb-shelter,  where  her  father  lay  raging  and 
fuming,  because  his  infirmity  would  not  allow  him, 
to  take  part  in  the  contest.  Fernando  obtained  a 
promise  from  Morgianna  that  she  would  not  ven- 
ture from  the  shelter,  by  promising  in  return  to 
keep  off  the  redoubt. 

The  British  shells  were  telling  on  the  American 
fort.  Though  the  walls  were  strong  and  resisted 
their  balls,  several  men  had  fallen  beneath  their 


384  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

shells.  Two  solid  shot  and  one  shell  struck  Cap- 
tain Lane's  elegant  mansion  on  the  hill,  fired  from 
spite,  as  the  house  was  far  removed  from  the  fort, 
and  no  one  was  near  it.  A  cannon-ball  entered 
the  great,  broad  bay  window  overlooking  the  sea, 
made  a  wreck  of  the  furniture  in  the  parlor,  crashed 
through  the  wall,  shivering  a  tall  mirror  and  spread- 
ing havoc  in  the  room  beyond. 

The  siege  continued  all  day  long,  and  late  in  the 
afternoon,  just  one  hour  before  sunset,  the  redcoats 
appeared  on  the  wooded  hill  back  of  the  town,  and 
opened  fire  with  two  small  pieces  and  muskets. 
Fernando's  riflemen  had  been  waiting  for  this,  and, 
with  wild  yells,  they  leaped  the  redoubts,  deployed 
along  the  stone  fences  and  houses  and  picked  off 
the  redcoats  so  rapidly,  that  they  fled  pell  mell  to 
their  own  works,  glad  to  escape  the  bullets  of  those 
unerring  riflemen. 

The  cannonade  kept  up  until  long  after  mid- 
night. The  sky  was  ablaze  with  circling  shells, 
and  the  headlands  reverberated  with  ten  thousand 
echoes. 

All  the  guns  in  the  fort  save  the  thirty -two  were 
silent,  for  the  smaller  cannon  at  that  range  were 
useless.  The  soldiers  in  the  fort  lay  on  their  arms, 
and  Fernando  slept  none.  With  anxious  face  he 
went  the  rounds  of  the  fort,  occasionally  watching 
through  an  embrasure  the  ship  beyond  and  the  cir- 


THE  SAVING  SHOT.  385 

cling  shells.  During  the  night,  three  more  of  their 
number  were  killed  and  six  wounded,  while  as  yet 
they  had  done  the  enemy  no  hurt. 

Shortly  after  midnight,  the  firing  grew  slower 
and  an  hour  later  ceased  altogether.  Morning 
dawned  slowly,  and  the  flag  still  floated  over  the 
badly  battered  fort.  A  sullen,  gloomy  silence  had 
fallen  over  the  officers  and  men.  They  watched 
the  enemy,  who  at  daylight  began  to  warp  the  ship 
in  a  little  nearer,  that  her  guns  might  be  more 
effective.  Fernando  was  silent  and  his  brow  dark. 
There  seemed  but  one  thing  possible  and  that  was 
defeat.  Reinforcements  need  not  be  expected. 

The  Xenophon  came  a  little  nearer  to  shore,  then 
let  go  her  anchors  again  and  lay  broadside  to  the 
fort.  It  was  quite  evident  that  she  was  afraid  to 
corne  too  close,  lest  some  blundering  shot  would 
strike  her.  All  of  a  sudden,  a  sheet  of  flame  and 
cloud  of  smoke  from  her  side  concealed  the  ship 
from  view,  and  balls  once  more  rained  about  the 
fort.  The  fire  this  day  was  more  destructive  than 
on  the  preceding.  One  house  within  the  enclosure 
was  completely  battered  down.  The  church  which 
had  been  converted  into  a  hospital  was  set  on  fire. 
Fernando  discovered  it  in  flames  and  ran  thither  to 
hurry  out  the  wounded.  Entering  the  burning 
building,  through  which  a  shell  went  screaming, 
he  was  horror-stricken  and  amazed  to  find  Morgi- 
25 


386  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

anna  at  one  of  the  bunks,  binding  up  the  wounds 
of  a  sufferer. 

"  Morgianna,  Morgianna!"  he  cried,  "why  do 
you  risk  your  life  here?" 

"There  is  suffering  and  death  here!"  she  an- 
swered. "  Am  I  better  than  those  who  risk  their 
lives  for  me?" 

"  Morgianna,  you  must  not,  yours  is  no  common 
life "  he  began.  In  the  excitement  of  the  mo- 
ment he  almost  forgot  himself.  She  was  about  to 
answer,  when  he  said,  "  Noble  woman !  do  not,  for 
Heaven's  sake,  run  needless  danger." 

They  hurried  the  wounded  from  the  burning 
building.  Another  house,  lower  down  the  hill, 
was  also  on  fire.  It  was  so  near  to  the  great  gun, 
that  the  heat  almost  blistered  the  men  who  worked 
it,  and  for  awhile  their  magazine  was  in  great  peril. 

The  soldiers  did  all  in  their  power  to  extinguish 
the  flames ;  but  both  church  and  house  burned  to 
the  ground. 

Night  came  once  more,  and  the  Americans  were 
reduced  to  the  sorest  straits.  Soon  after  dark,  the 
cannonading  ceased  and  a  silence  of  death  fell  over 
the  fort,  broken  only  by  the  groans  of  some  poor, 
wounded  fellow.  The  people  within  the  fort  went 
about  talking  in  whispers.  Three  bodies,  which 
they  had  not  had  time  to  bury,  lay,  stark  and  silent 
under  the  shed,  and  there  were  nine  fresh  graves 


THE  SAVING  SHOT.  387 

on  the  hillside.  In  addition,  more  than  thirty  of 
the  defenders  were  disabled  from  wounds. 

Captain  Stevens,  Sukey,  Terrence  and  Lieuten- 
ant Willard  were  holding  a  consultation  in  a  room 
of  the  old  tavern.  Lieutenant  Willard  said : 

"  Captain  Stevens,  there  is  no  other  alternative, 
we  must  surrender.  To  hold  out  longer  is  murder. 
If  we  had  a  few  competent  gunners  we  might  drive 
her  away,  but  with  our  inexperienced  men,  we  are 
wasting  ammunition  and  life  to  resist." 

"  There  is  one  chance, "  said  Fernando.  "  Per- 
haps we  could  carry  the  ship  by  the  board. " 

"By  the  board!  divil  a  bit!"  put  in  Terrence. 
"  Why  they'd  sink  us  all  before  we  could  get 
within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  plagued  ship. " 

Sukey,  remembering  that  Captain  Snipes,  his 
avowed  enemy,  was  on  board  the  Xenophon,  was 
eager  to  make  the  effort  to  carry  her  by  the  board. 

"  It  will  be  a  desperate  undertaking,"  said  Lieu- 
tenant Willard.  "  If  we  had  sailors  instead  of 
riflemen  it  might  be  done  very  easily;  but  it  is  a 
desperate  chance;  yet  we  are  in  a  desperate  situa- 
tion. " 

"  And  faith  ye'll  come  to  a  desperate  end,  if  ye 
thry  to  carry  that  ship  by  the  board,"  interrupted 
Terrence. 

Fernando  mustered  three  hundred  men  and,  as- 
certaining there  were  boats  to  take  them  to  the 


388  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Xenophon,  was  about  to  give  the  orders  to  march 
to  the  water,  when,  suddenly,  volley  after  volley 
of  muskets  and  pistols  rang  out  from  the  ship. 
The  Americans  had  passed  from  the  works  and 
were  drawn  up  on  the  sands.  When  they  heard 
the  firing  at  the  Xenophon,  they  came  to  a  halt,  to 
guess  and  wonder  at  the  cause. 

It  was  decided  to  march  the  men  by  a  round- 
about course  to  the  promontory  and  embark  in 
boats  for  the  ship.  By  doing  this,  they  could 
come  upon  the  vessel  from  the  side  opposite  to  the 
fort,  and  effect  a  more  complete  surprise.  Two 
dozen  bold  fishermen  were  entrusted  to  take  the 
boats  along  the  rocky  shore  to  the  point  of  em- 
barkation. The  night  was  quite  dark,  and  the 
water  rough,  so  it  required  great  skill  to  accom- 
plish this  difficult  feat. 

Fernando  and  his  troops  had  gained  the  neck  of 
land  reaching  to  the  promontory,  and,  fearing  that 
the  enemy  might  have  landed  a  force  there,  and 
that  they  would  be  drawn  into  an  ambuscade,  he 
halted  his  troops  in  a  dense  growth  of  wood  and 
left  them  with  Lieutenant  Willard,  while  he,  with 
Sukey,  Terrence  and  Job,  crept  forward  to  recon- 
noitre. They  had  almost  reached  the  promontory, 
and,  convinced  that  there  was  no  one  in  ambush, 
were  about  to  return  to  the  main  force,  when  sud- 
denly an  object  presented  itself  to  their  eyes,  which 


THE  SAVING  SHOT.  389 

absolutely  rooted  them  to  the  spot.  At  about 
twenty  or  thirty  yards  distant,  where  but  the  mo- 
ment before  the  long  line  of  horizon  terminated  the 
view,  there  now  stood  a  strange  figure,  which  might 
be  six  and  might  be  twelve  feet  in  height.  It  had 
evidently  risen  up  out  of  the  ground  and  was  float- 
ing in  the  air,  as  there  seemed  to  be  nothing  to 
connect  it  with  the  earth.  There  was  a  body  of 
spotless  white,  an  obscure  mass  which  might  be  a 
head,  and  two  long,  white,  straight  arms,  spread 
apart  like  a  cross.  This  strange  creature  was  ad- 
vancing toward  them. 

"Oh,  golly!  massa,  look  ye  dar!  dat  am  a 
ghost!"  whispered  the  darkey. 

"A  banshee,  begorra!"  said  Terrence. 

Fernando  was  impressed  that  the  strange  vision 
was  the  result  of  some  English  trickery,  while 
Sukey,  cocking  his  gun,  declared : 

"  If  it's  mortal,  I'll  soon  make  it  immortal." 

"Hold,  Sukey!"  whispered  Fernando,  "let  us 
see  what  it  is  before  you  fire. " 

"Golly!  massa,  it  am  comin'  dis  way!" 

Fernando  could  see  that  the  object,  with  its 
strange  incongruous  head,  its  long  arms,  of  which 
it  now  seemed  to  have  three  or  four,  was  advanc- 
ing toward  them  over  the  uneven  ground ;  and  he 
gave  the  order  to  fall  back  until  they  were  nearer 
the  troops. 


390  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

When  within  about  one  hundred  paces,  Fernando 
made  a  stand  and  cried: 

"Halt!" 

This  was  the  first  word  uttered  loud  enough  to 
reach  the  strange  four-armed,  one-headed,  but  leg- 
less spectre.  It  produced  a  wonderful  effect,  for 
the  odd  figure  wheeled  about  and  started  off  at 
something  like  a  run.  Sukey  brought  his  gun  to 
his  shoulder  and  fired. 

The  report  of  the  gun  was  the  signal  for  the 
riflemen  under  Lieutenant  Willard  to  charge,  and 
all  gave  chase  to  the  spectre. 

"  Don't  fire  another  shot ! "  cried  Fernando.  The 
spectre  had  not  gone  a  hundred  paces,  before  it 
stumbled  over  a  loose  stone  and  fell.  In  a  mo- 
ment, Terrence  Malone  had  seized  it  and  cried : 

"  Huzzah!  boys,  I've  caught  the  divil  himsilf. " 

The  spectre  proved  to  be  a  very  material  like 
person  in  the  form  of  a  tall  sailor  with  a  white 
jacket  and  cap  and  blue  trousers.  His  superabun- 
dance of  arms  could  be  accounted  for  by  the  long, 
white  oar,  which  he  had  been  carrying  on  his 
shoulder,  and  which  he  explained  was  his  only 
weapon,  offensive  or  defensive. 

"  Where  are  you  from?"  asked  Fernando. 

"I  am  from  his  majesty's  frigate  Xenophon," 
he  answered. 

"  Are  you  a  deserter?"  asked  Fernando. 


THE  SAVING  SHOT.  391 

"Yes,  sir;  I  am  an  American  by  birth,  and  will 
die  before  I  raise  my  hand  against  my  country. 
To-day,  because  I  refused  to  work  at  the  guns,  I 
was  arrested,  to  be  flogged  in  the  morning,  hung  or 
shot  at  the  pleasure  of  Captain  Snipes. " 

"  I  believe  I  know  that  voice "  began  Captain 

Stevens. 

.  "  Holy  golly!  it  am  Massa  St.  Mark!"  yelled  a 
voice  behind  them,  and  Job  tore  his  way  through 
the  crowd  and,  flinging  his  arms  about  the  sailor, 
cried :  "  Massa  St.  Mark !  Massa  St.  Mark !  am  it 
you?" 

"  Faith,  it's  the  best  gunner  in  the  British  navy !" 
cried  Terrence. 

Fernando  had  no  trouble  in  recognizing  in  the 
stranger  the  gentlemanly  gunner  of  the  Macedonian, 
who  had  saved  him  from  being  flogged.  Terrence, 
Fernando,  Job  and  Sukey  crowded  about  the  new- 
comer and  for  a  moment  plied  him  with  questions. 
He  explained  that,  having  slipped  his  handcuffs, 
he  rushed  on  deck,  seized  the  oar,  which  he  still 
carried,  knocked  down  two  sentries  and  leaped 
overboard.  They  fired  a  hundred  shots  at  him; 
but,  being  an  excellent  swimmer,  and  the  night 
being  dark,  he  managed  to  escape.  Lying  on  his 
back,  holding  to  the  oar,  he  watched  for  the  flash 
of  their  guns  and  pistols,  and,  when  they  fired, 
ducked  his  head  under  the  water. 


392  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

The  appearance  of  Mr.  Hugh  St.  Mark  naturally 
caused  another  consultation.  He  discouraged  their 
desperate  attempt  to  carry  the  ship  by  the  board, 
and  Fernando,  after  sending  six  fishermen  to  the 
headland  to  acquaint  their  companions  there  with 
the  change,  marched  with  his  force  back  to  the 
fort.  An  hour  later  the  others  came. 

When  day  dawned,  the  Xenophon  renewed  her 
cannonading.  Mr.  Hugh  St.  Mark  was  given 
charge  of  the  thirty -two,  and  after  carefully  meas- 
uring the  distance  with  an  experienced  eye,  he 
weighed  the  powder  and  loaded  the  gun.  Fer- 
nando watched  the  flight  of  the  first  ball,  which 
went  whizzing  over  the  leeward  rail  across  the  deck 
and  out  at  the  opposite  port  into  the  sea.  The 
second  shot  cut  some  of  the  rigging.  The  British 
supposed  those  two  shots  accidents,  but  after  the 
third,  they  were  convinced  that  there  was  an  ex- 
perienced hand  at  the  gun. 

Fernando,  in  his  anxiety  to  mark  the  effect  of 
the  third  shot,  forgot  his  promise  to  Morgianna  and, 
with  the  glass  in  hand,  mounted  the  rampart.  The 
heavy  boom  of  the  cannon  shook  sea  and  shore. 
There  was  no  need  of  a  glass  to  mark  the  effects. 
The  ball  crashed  through  from  side  to  side  sending 
the  splinters  flying  in  every  direction.  A  wild 
cheer  rose  from  the  fort,  and  Fernando  saw  five  or 
six  carried  below  the  deck,  while  one  of  the  guns 


THE  SAVING  SHOT.  393 

was  dismounted  and  useless.  In  a  few  seconds  the 
great  gun  was  again  loaded.  This  time  the  ball 
crashed  through  the  hull.  The  fifth  shot  struck 
the  mizzenmast  about  four  feet  above  deck,  and 
cut  it  almost  away. 

"  Victory  is  ours!"  cried  Fernando,  waving  his 
sword  in  the  air. 

"  Hurrah  for  ould  Ireland  and  the  United  States 
foriver!"  shouted  Terrence,  leaping  on  the  em- 
bankment, and  dancing  a  jig.  But  the  Xenophon 
had  not  given  up  the  contest  yet.  She  continued 
to  fire  her  balls  and  shells  with  murderous  intent 
until  the  balls  from  St.  Mark's  direction  had  cut 
her  mainmast  down.  It  fell  over  on  the  lee  side 
dragging  with  it  the  fore  mainstay  and  crippling 
the  rigging  to  such  an  extent  that  Captain  Snipes 
began  to  fear  he  could  not  get  his  vessel  out  of  the 
harbor.  The  weight  of  the  mainmast  hanging 
over  the  side  of  the  vessel  was  so  great  that  the 
vessel  heeled  over  to  leeward.  A  dozen  carpenters 
with  axes  flew  to  cut  away  the  wreck  and  the  ship 
righted  herself. 

While  others  were  rejoicing,  Hugh  St.  Mark 
was  busy  sending  ball  after  ball  crashing  into  the 
Xenophon  as  if  he  had  many  old  scores  to  settle. 
Sukey,  who  stood  by  his  side,  said : 

"  Mr.  St.  Mark,  don't  hit  the  captain — leave 
him  for  me. " 


394  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

The  wind  and  tide  bore  the  Xenophon  to  the 
mouth  of  the  harbor  just  beyond  the  point  of  Duck 
Island,  where  she  was  temporarily  safe  from  the 
balls  of  the  avenging  thirty-two. 

It  soon  became  evident  that  the  land  force  un- 
der Lieutenant  Matson  intended  to  march  to  the 
point  of  land,  embark,  and  return  to  the  ship. 
Fernando  determined  to  spoil  their  plan.  He  mus- 
tered two  hundred  and  fifty  of  his  soldiers,  marines 
and  militia  and  started  to  head  them  off.  Lieuten- 
ant Willard  was  left  alone  in  charge  of  the  fort. 

A  villager  who  knew  a  nearer  route  guided  them 
by  it  to  a  pass  between  two  hills,  where  the  Britons 
would  be  compelled  to  march.  Sukey  and  Ter- 
rence  were  sent  forward  to  reconnoitre,  and  as  they 
came  in  sight  of  the  narrow  valley  surrounded  by 
hills  they  saw  the  head  of  the  column  of  redcoats 
coming,  their  banner  upheld  to  the  breeze.  Ter- 
rence  wheeling  about,  ran  with  all  speed  back  to 
the  advancing  soldiers,  and  cried: 

"Come  on,  me  boys!  it's  a  divil's  own  time 
we'll  have  of  it  in  the  valley,  all  to  ourselves." 

"Halt!  fix  bayonets!"  commanded  Fernando. 
In  a  moment,  the  gleaming  bayonets  were  on  each 
gun.  "  Forward ! — Double — Quick ! '' 

The  soldiers,  at  a  run,  dashed  into  the  valley 
just  as  the  British  appeared,  two  volleys  delivered 
in  quick  succession  and  they  were  at  it  steel  to 


THE  SAVING  SHOT.  395 

steel.  Fernando,  bareheaded,  engaged  a  stout 
Briton  in  a  hand-to-hand  struggle,  which  a  quick 
thrust  from  Sukey's  bayonet  ended.  Next,  Cap- 
tain Stevens  found  himself  hotly  engaged  with  his 
old  enemy  Lieutenant  Matson.  Their  blades  flashed 
angrily  for  a  moment,  but  as  the  lieutenant's  men 
threw  down  their  arms  and  begged  for  quarters,  he 
realized  the  folly  of  resisting  longer  and  yielded. 
His  stubborn  pride  made  the  struggle  hard.  He 
offered  his  sword  to  his  victor,  which  he  politely 
declined. 

"Keep  your  sword,  lieutenant,"  said  Fernando. 
"  Though  you  are  my  enemy,  I  trust  you  have  not 
forgotten  that  you  are  a  gentleman." 

"  I  trust  not. " 

"  You  shall  be  paroled  as  soon  as  we  reach  the 
fort." 

The  Britons  stacked  their  arms,  and  marched  in 
double  file  under  a  guard  to  the  fort.  Oxen  and 
carts  were  sent  out  for  the  arms  and  two  pieces  of 
artillery  which  were  brought  into  the  fort. 

Silent  and  majestic  as  an  uncrowned  prince, 
seeming  neither  elated  nor  depressed  by  the  vic- 
tory, stood  the  gunner  Hugh  St.  Mark  by  the  side 
of  the  old  thirty-two,  with  which  he  had  fired  the 
shots  that  saved  the  fort. 

He  was  tall,  straight,  broad-shouldered,  with 
hair  once  chestnut,  but  now  almost  gray.  His  age 


396  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

might  be  anywhere  between  forty  and  fifty  years. 
So  calm,  majestic  and  mysterious  did  he  seem,  as, 
with  folded  arms,  he  stood  gazing  unconcernedly 
about  him,  that  Fernando  was  constrained  to  ask 
himself : 

"Whoiahe?" 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

NEW   ORLEANS. 

AMID  the  exciting  scenes  which  followed  in  such 
rapid  succession,  no  one  had  noticed  that  the 
weather  had  undergone  a  wonderful  change.  By 
the  time  the  prisoners  were  comfortably  quartered 
the  sun  had  set,  and  the  sky  was  obscured  with 
dark  clouds  from  which  constant  flashes  of  light- 
ning were  emitted.  The  distant  roll  of  thunder 
and  the  sighing  of  the  wind  gave  warning  of  the 
approach  of  a  storm. 

"  The  Xenophon  is  in  a  poor  condition  to  weather 
a  storm  to-night, "  said  Lieutenant  Willard.  "  With 
her  hull  raked  fore  and  aft  a  dozen  times,  her  miz- 
zen  gone,  her  foremast  shot  through,  and  her  rig- 
ging so  cut  to  pieces,  she  can  hardly  be  managed  in 
good  weather.  A  storm  would  surely  drive  her  on 
the  rocks. " 

The  vessel  could  be  seen  by  the  flashes  of  light- 
ning, struggling  to  get  to  sea.  At  last  she  disap- 
peared. The  storm  rose  and  the  wind  blew  a  per- 
fect hurricane.  Fernando  had  gone  to  see  Captain 
Lane  to  make  a  full  report.  It  was  midnight,  and 

397 


398  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

he  was  still  -with  the  captain,  when  the  boom  of  a 
gun  at  sea  was  heard.  That  was  no  gun  of  battle 
but  a  signal  of  distress. 

"  What  is  it?"  cried  Captain  Lane. 

"It's  the  Xenophon.  I  fear  she  cannot  weather 
the  storm. " 

Then  they  listened  for  an  hour  or  more  to  the 
occasional  boom  of  a  cannon. 

"  She's  comin'  right  in  on  the  stony  point  sou'- 
east  o'  the  bay, "  cried  Captain  Lane. 

Fernando  started  to  his  feet  and  said : 

"  We  must  go  to  their  rescue. " 

At  this  Morgianna,  who  had  been  ministering  to 
the  wounded,  entered  and  said: 

"  Are  they  not  enemies?" 

"  Yes,  but  fellow-creatures,  also.  Those  signal 
guns  call  out  humanity,  and  the  bravest  are  the 
most  humane, "  said  Fernando. 

"  I  am  glad  you  said  that ! "  she  remarked  as 
Fernando  hurriedly  left  the  shelter  in  which  the 
captain  lay. 

Day  dawned  and  the  Xenophon  was  a  broken 
wreck  scattered  along  the  Maryland  coast.  Occa- 
sionally a  bruised  and  bleeding  form  was  picked  up 
senseless  or  dead  among  the  rocks,  or  on  the  beach. 
Sukey  was  busiest  among  the  searchers;  but  the 
scenes  of  horror  and  suffering  which  everywhere 
met  his  view  changed  his  hatred  to  pity. 


NEW  ORLEANS. 


399 


At  last  he  came  upon  a  poor,  bruised,  thoroughly 
soaked,  wretched -looking  man  lying  among  some 
rocks,  where  the  angry  waves  and  receding  tide 
had  left  him.  His  once  elegant  uniform  was  now 
rotten,  dirty  rags.  One  gold  epaulet  was  gone, 


SUKEY'S  THUMB  LIFTED  THE  HAMMER  OF  HIS  OUN. 

and  the  other  was  so  mud -besmeared  that  one  could 
scarce  tell  what  it  was  composed  of. 

It  required  a  second  look  for  Sukey  to  recognize 
in  that  miserable  creature,  drawing  every  breath 
in  pain,  the  haughty  Captain  Snipes,  who  had 


400  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

scourged  and  disgraced  him.  Snipes  had  severe 
internal  injuries  and  was  dying.  Sukey's  thumb 
lifted  the  hammer  of  his  gun,  then  he  gazed  on  the 
agonized  face  of  his  enemy,  and,  the  tears  starting 
to  his  eyes,  he  let  down  the  hammer.  At  this 
moment  Fernando  came  up,  and  Sukey  cried : 

"I  can't  do  it,  Fernando, — I  can't  do  it!  I've 
prayed  for  this,  for  years,  but  now  that  it's  given 
me,  I  can't.  It's  Captain  Snipes,  but  he's  too  bad 
hurt  to  kill. " 

"God  has  punished  him,"  said  Fernando,  sol- 
emnly. "  Verily,  '  vengeance  is  mine,  I  will  repay, 
saith  the  Lord. ' " 

They  lifted  their  enemy  as  gently  as  if  he  had 
been  their  dearest  friend  and  bore  him  to  a  fisher- 
man's cottage,  where  Sukey  did  all  in  his  power 
to  alleviate  his  suffering ;  but  his  time  on  earth 
was  short.  Captain  Snipes  sank  rapidly.  That 
he  was  conscious  and  recognized  his  nurse  no  one 
can  doubt,  for  just  half  an  hour  before  he  died,  he 
took  Sukey's  hand  and  spoke  the  only  words  he 
wSs  heard  to  utter  after  the  wreck. 

"  Forgive  me!"  he  said. 

"I  do,  captain,  God  knows  I  do!"  Sukey  cried 
warmly,  and  the  haughty,  cruel  Captain  Snipes 
passed  away,  the  victim  of  God's  vengeance. 

The  day  after  the  wreck  of  the  Xenophon,  news 
came  from  Baltimore  of  the  repulse  of  the  British 


NEW  ORLEANS.  401 

fleet  and  army.  It  was  a  day  of  general  rejoicing. 
A  squadron  was  to  be  sent  to  guard  the  coast  and 
relieve  Fernando  at  Mariana.  For  some  time  he 
had  been  asking  to  be  attached  to  some  western 
regiment  with  his  recruits.  He  received  official 
notice  that  he  had  been  assigned  to  a  Kentucky 
regiment  under  Colonel  Smiley,  and,  with  the  no- 
tice, came  a  commission  to  the  rank  of  major. 
Fernando  was  ordered  to  join  the  regiment  at 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  to  act  under  General  Jackson  in 
the  South. 

The  war  was  shifting  to  the  South ;  and  the 
western  and  southern  troops  were  hastening  to  its 
defence.  Fernando  notified  his  men  of  the  order 
and  Sukey  volunteered  to  go  with  them.  Job  also 
enlisted  as  cook ;  but  Terrence,  having  been  noti- 
fied that  Privateer  Tom  was  ready  for  sea,  once  more 
bade  them  adieu,  and  departed  for  Philadelphia, 
taking  Mr.  Hugh  St.  Mark  the  gunner  with  him. 

Fernando  went  to  the  great  white  stone  house, 
which  had  been  repaired  and  again  occupied  by 
Captain  Lane  and  his  daughter.  Captain  Lane  and 
Morgianna  were  alone  in  the  large  sitting-room 
when  he  entered.  The  captain  was  convalescent, 
but  not  wholly  recovered  from  his  attack  of  rheu- 
matism. 

"So  you  are  going  away?"  said  Captain  Lane 
when  Fernando  had  told  him  of  his  last  order. 
26 


402  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"  Yes,  captain,  a  soldier  belongs  to  his  coun- 
try." 

"  I  know  it.  1  don't  blame  you  one  bit.  So 
you  will  serve  under  Jackson.  Well,  I  don't  think 
another  ship  will  venture  to  bombard  Mariana. 
Have  you  sent  the  prisoners  to  Baltimore?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  all  save  Lieutenant  Matson.  I  took 
his  parole,  and  he  still  remains  in  the  village,  I 
presume,  during  his  pleasure.  He  will  be  required 
to  report  once  a  week  to  Baltimore,  but  that  need 
not  be  in  person. " 

The  captain  was  silent.  While  speaking,  Fer- 
nando kept  his  eyes  from  the  face  of  Morgianna. 
He  could  not  look  at  her  and  be  a  witness  to  the 
glow  of  joy  which  he  knew  must  warm  her  cheek 
on  being  informed  that  her  lover  was  to  remain. 
She  quietly  left  the  apartment  while  he  was  con- 
versing with  the  captain,  and  when  he  left,  he 
found  her  alone  in  the  hall. 

It  was  almost  dark ;  but  her  face  in  its  beauty 
seemed  to  illumine  the  hall.  He  took  her  hand  in 
his  own,  and  felt  that  same  old  thrill  of  five  years 
before. 

"  I  am  going  away,  Miss  Lane,"  he  said,  "  and  I 
cannot  go  without  bidding  you  adieu  and  telling 
you  how  much  I  appreciate  your  brave,  noble,  self- 
sacrificing  efforts  in  caring  for  the  wounded. " 

Fernando  really  had  a  different  opinion  of  Mor- 


NEW  ORLEANS.  403 

gianna  from  that  he  had  at  first  entertained.  He 
had  thought  of  her  only  as  a  gay,  frivolous  girl, 
witty,  brilliant  and  beautiful ;  but  the  scenes  of 
death,  the  siege  and  carnage  had  shown  him  a  new 
Morgianna; — it  was  Morgi anna  the  heroine.  She 
made  several  efforts  to  speak  before  she  could  fully 
control  herself. 

"  Major  Stevens,"  she  faintly  said  after  a  strug- 
gle, "  the  people  of  this  poor  little  village  can 
never  feel  too  grateful  to  you,  for  your  brave  and 
unselfish  defence  of  their  homes!" 

"  I  am  a  soldier,  Miss  Lane,  and  I  trust  I  did 
my  duty. " 

Then  they  stood  silent.  Fernando  would  have 
given  worlds  to  speak  the  promptings  of  his  heart: 
but  stubborn  pride  forbade  him. 

"  Whither  do  you  go?"  she  asked. 

"  To  the  South ;  what  point  I  do  not  know,  save 
that  we  join  our  regiment  at  Nashville. " 

"  Will  you  ever  come  back,  major?" 

"  If  duty  calls  me " 

"  But  have  you  no  friends, "  she  asked  slowly, 
"  no  friends  here,  whom  you  would  like  to  see  after 
the  war  is  over?" 

"  Many,  Miss  Lane.  These  brave  men  and  noble 
women,  who  have  shared  my  toils  and  dangers,  are 
very  dear  to  my  heart,  and  when  the  Britons  have 
been  driven  from  our  country,  nothing  would  give 


404  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

me  greater  pleasure  than  to  renew  my  acquaintance 
with  them. " 

"You  are  always  welcome,  major,"  she  said, 
deeply  moved.  "  Will  you  make  me  a  promise?" 

"  What  is  the  promise?" 

"  That  you  will  come  as  soon  as  the  war  is  over. " 

"  It  is  only  a  polite  way  of  inviting  me  to  her 
wedding, "  he  thought ;  then  he  asked : 

"Will  you  be  here?" 

"  If  heaven  spares  me,  I  shall. " 

"  Then  I  will  return,  Miss  Lane,  if  I  live. " 

Their  discourse  had  been  friendly,  but  cold  and 
formal.  Fernando  had  once  overstepped  the 
bounds  when  he  declared  his  love ;  but  he  was  care- 
ful not  to  do  so  again.  Notwithstanding  she  had 
leaped  to  the  redoubt  amid  screaming  shells  and 
whistling  balls,  to  persuade  him  back  to  the 
trenches,  he  could  see  nothing  more  tender  than 
love  of  humanity  in  her  act.  He  was  so  thor- 
oughly convinced  that  she  would  wed  Lieutenant 
Matson,  that  he  was  once  on  the  point  of  asking 
her  when  the  marriage  would  take  place,  but  the 
subject  was  too  painful  to  mention. 

She  followed  him  quite  to  the  door,  and  here  he 
said  in  a  voice  that  was  husky  despite  his  efforts  to 
prevent  it : 

"  Miss  Lane. — Morgianna,  I  had  him  paroled 
for  your  sake.  He  can  remain  in  the  village. " 


NEW  ORLEANS.  405 

He  was  gone  before  she  could  make  any  re- 
sponse. His  men  were  mustered  at  peep  of  day 
and  marched  away  to  Baltimore. 

General  Andrew  Jackson,  to  whom  Fernando 
Stevens  was  marching,  was  the  hero  of  the  war  of 
1812  in  the  South.  Having  utterly  crushed  the 
Creek  power  and  wrung  from  them  a  treaty  which 
extinguished  them  politically  as  a  nation,  he  set 
about  securing  that  portion  of  the  country  against 
further  molestation.  The  belief  that  the  war  in 
the  South  was  ended  proved  a  deception  when  the 
British  suddenly  appeared  in  a  large  force  in  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  By  permission  of  the  Spanish 
governor  of  Florida,  the  British  took  possession  of 
one  of  the  forts  at  Pensacola,  where  they  fitted  out 
an  expedition  for  the  capture  of  Fort  Bowyer,* 
on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  entrance  to  Mobile  Bay. 
The  British  attacked  the  fort,  but  were  repulsed. 
Jackson,  who  was  at  Mobile,  hastened  to  Pensacola 
and  demanded  of  the  Spanish  governor  a  surrender 
of  the  forts.  The  officer  sent  with  the  flag  to  de- 
mand the  surrender  was  fired  upon,  and  next  day 
Jackson  with  his  troops  charged  into  the  town ; 
when  the  frightened  governor  offered  to  surrender 
the  forts.  This  was  done,  and  the  British  blew 
up  one,  and  abandoned  the  others. 

*  Now  Fort  Morgan. 


406  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

On  his  return  to  Mobile,  Jackson  found  a  mes- 
sage from  New  Orleans,  urging  him  to  hasten  to 
the  defence  of  that  city,  as  the  British  commander 
in  the  gulf  had  declared  his  intention  to  invade 
Louisiana,  and  sent  an  inflammatory  proclamation 
among  the  inhabitants. 

Jackson  arrived  at  New  Orleans,  December  2, 
1814,  and  found  the  city  utterly  defenceless,  and 
the  people  filled  with  alarm  and  distracted  by  petty 
factions.  Danger  was  imminent.  The  British 
troops  that  left  Chesapeake  Bay  after  their  repulse 
at  Baltimore  had  gone  to  the  West  Indies,  where 
they  were  joined  by  about  four  thousand  veterans 
under  the  brave  Irish  General  Keane.  The  com- 
bined forces  sailed  in  the  direction  of  New  Orleans, 
late  in  November.  The  wives  of  many  of  the 
officers  accompanied  them,  for  not  a  man  doubted 
that  the  speedy  conquest  of  Louisiana  would  be 
the  result  of  the  expedition.  The  dullness  of  the 
voyage  was  enlightened  by  music  and  dancing,  and 
all  anticipated  exquisite  pleasures  to  be  found  in 
the  paradise  before  them.  It  is  said  that  the  Brit- 
ish officers  had  promised  their  soldiers  the  privilege 
of  the  city,  when  captured,  for  three  days,  and 
that  "  booty  and  beauty,"  was  their  watchword. 

Fernando  Stevens,  with  his  experienced  marks- 
men, joined  Jackson  at  New  Orleans  on  the  very 
day  that  Jean  Lafitte,  the  pirate  of  the  Gulf,  came 


NEW  ORLEANS.  407 

to  offer  the  services  of  himself  and  band  to  Jack- 
son. The  British  General  had  tried  to  engage  the 
services  of  this  band  of  outlaws.  Lafitte  was  a 
shrewd  Frenchman,  and  he  and  his  band  had  been 
outlawed  by  legal  proceedings,  though  their  crimes 
were  only  violations  of  the  revenue  and  neutrality 
laws  of  the  United  States.  When  the  invitation 
of  the  British  was  put  into  his  hands,  he  feigned 
compliance ;  but  as  soon  as  the  bearer  had  departed, 
he  called  his  followers  around  him  on  the  border 
of  the  sea,  and  said : 

"  Comrades,  I  am  an  adopted  citizen  of  the 
United  States,  and  will  never  violate  the  confi- 
dence placed  in  me  by  serving  the  enemies  of  my 
country.  We  have  been  outlawed;  perhaps  we 
deserve  it  by  our  irregularities.  No  matter;  I  am 
ready  to  serve  my  adopted  country,  and  ask  you 
to  join  me.  What  say  you,  comrades?" 

His  brawny  followers  threw  up  their  hats  and 
responded : 

"We  will!  we  will!" 

Fernando  was  at  the  headquarters  of  General 
Jackson  when  the  famous  buccaneer  held  his  inter- 
view with  him.  Fernando 's  regiment  shortly  after 
his  arrival  was  assigned  to  the  brigade  of  General 
Coffee. 

The  British  forces  halted  at  the  entrance  to  Lake 
Borgne,  between  which  and  the  Mississippi  New 


408  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Orleans  stands.  Here,  on  December  14th,  they 
captured  a  flotilla  under  Captain  Jones,  which 
secured  to  them  complete  command  of  the  lake. 

Meanwhile  Jackson  placed  New  Orleans  under 
martial  law,  and  carried  on  his  measures  of  defence 
so  vigorously,  that  the  citizens  began  to  pluck  up 
courage.  When  he  heard  of  the  capture  of  the 
flotilla,  he  sent  couriers  to  General  Coffee  and 
others  at  the  head  of  Tennessee  and  Kentucky 
troops,  urging  them  to  hasten  to  New  Orleans. 
His  efforts  were  timely,  for,  on  the  22d  of  Decem- 
ber, General  Keane,  with  more  than  two  thousand 
five  hundred  men,  reached  the  banks  of  the  Missis- 
sippi through  a  bayou  nine  miles  below  the  city 
and  prepared  to  take  New  Orleans  by  surprise. 
Vigilant  eyes  were  watching  his  movements ;  and 
a  prisoner  whom  he  had  taken,  escaping,  hastened 
to  New  Orleans  and  gave  General  Jackson  notice 
of  the  near  approach  of  the  foe.  At  the  same 
time,  Coffee  and  Carroll  arrived  with  the  Tennessee- 
ans,  and  Jackson  put  a  column  in  motion  to  meet 
the  invaders.  Early  on  the  evening  of  the  23d  of 
December,  they  marched,  eighteen  hundred  strong, 
led  by  Jackson  in  person,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
armed  schooner  Carolinia  dropped  down  the  river 
to  within  musket  range  of  the  British  camp.  Shot 
from  that  vessel  first  revealed  the  fact  to  the  Brit- 
ish that  their  presence  was  known  at  New  Orleans. 


NEW  ORLEANS.  409 

The  shells  and  shot  from  the  vessel  broke  up  their 
camp,  when  they  were  attacked  in  the  dark  by 
Jackson  and  his  followers.  The  combat  that  fol- 
lowed was  indecisive,  except  in  making  the  in- 
vaders more  cautious  and  discreet.  In  this  night 
conflict,  the  Americans  lost  about  two  hundred 
men,  while  the  British  loss  was  twice  as  many. 

New  Orleans  was  saved  from  surprise ;  now  it 
had  to  be  saved  from  open  invasion.  The  events 
of  the  23d  dispirited  the  British,  and  in  this  con- 
dition General  Packenham  found  the  troops  on  his 
arrival  on  Christmas  day  with  reinforcements,  to 
take  the  chief  command.  He  was  a  veteran,  fresh 
from  the  Spanish  peninsula,  and  was  delighted  to 
find  under  his  control  some  of  the  best  of  Welling- 
ton's regiments. 

He  immediately  prepared  to  effect  the  capture 
of  New  Orleans  and  the  subjugation  of  Louisiana 
without  delay.  With  hot  shot  the  annoying  Caro- 
linia  was  burned,  and  the  Louisiana  was  the  only 
American  vessel  left  on  the  river. 

Jackson  was  wide  awake,  however,  and  began 
throwing  up  a  line  of  intrenchments  from  the  banks 
of  the  Mississippi  to  an  almost  impenetrable  swamp 
in  the  rear,  four  miles  from  New  Orleans. 

There  has  been  some  dispute  in  regard  to  the 
redoubt  which  defended  New  Orleans.  There  was 
an  old  story  that  a  part  of  the  redoubt  was  com- 


410  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

posed  of  cotton  bales  taken  from  a  rich  planter 
named  Mulanthy,  and  that  the  cotton  bales  were 
afterward  sold  with  hundreds  of  pounds  of  British 
bullets  in  them.  General  Harney,  in  the  Wash- 
ington Sunday  Herald,  several  years  ago  denied  this 
story.  General  Harney  said: 

"  I  asked  General  Jackson,  General  Adair  and 
General  Coffee,  the  latter  having  the  immediate 
command  of  a  brigade  of  Tennessee  and  Kentucky 
sharpshooters,  whose  long  rifles  mainly  did  the 
work  of  death,  if  there  were  cotton  bales  used  at 
all,  and  they  all  answered  that  the  only  works  the 
Americans  had  were  of  earth,  about  two  and  a  half 
feet  high,  rudely  constructed  of  fence-rails  and  logs 
laid  twenty -four  inches  apart,  and  the  space  be- 
tween them  filled  with  earth,  and  if  there  had  been 
any  works  constructed  from  cotton  bales  they  must 
have  known  it. "  General  Harney  was  made  by 
the  Washington  Herald  to  say  that  in  1825  he  was 
promoted  to  captain  in  the  first  infantry,  and  sent 
to  Nashville,  Tennessee,  to  recruit  for  his  regiment, 
and  while  there  he  met  with  Generals  Jackson  and 
Coffee,  from  whom  he  obtained  many  points  of  the 
battle  which  have  never  been  in  print. 

Fernando  had  seen  no  service  since  leaving  Mari- 
ana on  the  Maryland  coast.  His  riflemen  were 
eager  to  meet  the  foe;  but  in  the  night  encounter 
they  had  been  detailed  to  guard  the  city,  and  pre- 


NEW  ORLEANS.  411 

serve  the  peace.  Day  by  day  they  had  expected 
the  enemy  to  advance  to  the  attack ;  but  the  7th 
of  January,  1815,  passed,  and  the  British  had  not 
yet  moved  to  the  attack,  further  than  some  skir- 
mishing and  cannonading.  On  the  night  of  the 
7th,  the  Americans  slept  on  their  arms,  for  they 
knew  Packenham  would  not  long  delay.  The  mem- 
orable morning  of  January  8,  1815,  dawned  at  last. 

There  was  a  heavy  fog  on  the  river,  and  the 
British  troops  had  actually  formed  and  were  ad- 
vancing before  Jackson  had  made  his  arrangements. 
Fernando  had  just  roused  Sukey,  who,  having  been 
on  guard  most  of  the  night,  slept  late,  when  he 
saw  General  Jackson  on  his  white  horse  gallop  up 
to  where  General  Coffee  and  his  staff  stood.  At 
this  moment  the  fog  lifted  a  little,  and  the  forma- 
tion of  the  British  army  was  seen,  and  Fernando 
heard  Jackson  exclaim : 

"  By  G — ,  they  are  ours!" 

"They  are  coming,  Sukey!"  said  Fernando. 
"  Get  your  gun!" 

"  Won't  they  give  me  time  to  eat  my  breakfast?" 
Sukey  asked. 

"  I  am  afraid  not. " 

At  this  moment,  Job,  who  was  Fernando's  cook, 
came  running  forward  with  some  broiled  beefsteak 
on  the  end  of  a  ramrod.  He  gave  it  to  Sukey  and 
said: 


412  SUSTAINED  HOXOR. 

"  Heah,  massa,  take  dis  an'  chomp  um  down  fob 
dey  git  near  enough  to  fight.  I'sgwine  ter  git  my 
gun  an'  teach  'em  dis  chile  ain't  got  no  Angler 
Saxun  blood  in  his  veins." 

Sukey  presented  an  odd  figure,  for  he  wore  no 
uniform.  His  head  was  covered  with  an  old,  low, 
broad-brimmed  hat.  He  sat  on  the  carriage  of  a 
brass  gun  near  and  ate  his  breakfast,  while  watch- 
ing the  enemy  advance  to  the  attack. 

Coffee's  part  of  the  line,  to  which  Fernando  was 
attached,  was  on  the  flank  extending  to  the  swamp. 
About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  it,  there  was  a  huge 
plantation  drainage  canal,  such  as  are  common  in 
Louisiana  lowlands.  At  this,  General  Packenham 
formed  his  first  attacking  column.  His  formation 
was  a  column  in  mass  of  about  fifty  files  front. 
This  was  formed  under  the  fire  of  the  regular  ar- 
tillerists in  a  little  redoubt  in  Coffee's  front  and 
that  of  some  cannon  taken  from  a  man-of-war, 
placed  in  a  battery  on  the  river  and  served  by 
sailors.  Coffee,  seeing  the  direction  of  the  attack, 
which  was  intended  to  turn  his  flank,  dashed  down 
the  line  saying  to  his  men : 

"  Hold  your  fire  until  you  can  see  their  belt- 
buckles. " 

The  riflemen  were  formed  in  two  ranks  so  that 
one  rank  would  load  while  the  other  was  firing. 

Fernando 's  position  behind  the  earthworks  was 


NEW  ORLEANS.  413 

near  an  old  oak  tree,  which  threw  out  its  branches 
about  his  head.  Sukey  stood  at  his  side  holding 
his  long  rifle  in  one  hand  and  his  broiled  meat  and 
sea-biscuit  in  the  other.  The  enemy  came  boldly 
forward,  and  a  finer  display  was  never  seen  on  re- 
view. Their  lines  were  well  dressed  and  Packen- 
ham,  on  his  snow  white  charger,  rode  as  boldly  as 
if  he  had  no  fear  of  death.  As  Sukey  munched 
his  hard  biscuit,  his  eyes  were  steadfastly  fixed  on 
Lord  Packenham. 

"  Say,  Fernando,  ain't  that  fellow  on  the  big 
horse  General  Packenham?" 

"  No  doubt  of  it,  Sukey. " 

"  He'd  wipe  out  the  score  of  what's  left  of  one 
hundred  and  eight, "  said  Sukey,  swallowing  his  last 
bite  of  biscuit  at  one  gulp  and  examining  the  prim- 
ing in  his  gun. 

Colonel  Smiley  was  first  to  give  orders  to  fire 
from  Fernando 's  part  of  the  work,  and  there  rang 
out  a  volley  all  along  the  line.  The  brass  pieces 
on  their  right  began  blazing  away  with  the  heavy 
iron  cannon  down  toward  the  river,  which  with  the 
rattling  of  small  arms  almost  made  the  ground 
quake  under  their  feet.  Directly  after  the  firing 
began,  Captain  Patterson,  from  Knox  County, 
Kentucky,  came  running  along.  He  leaped  on 
the  breastwork,  and,  stooping  a  moment  to  look 
through  the  darkness,  as  well  as  he  could,  shouted: 


414  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

"  Shoot  low,  boys !  shoot  low  !  rake  them  !  rake 
them!  They're  comin'  on  their  all-fours!" 

It  was  so  dark  that  little  could  be  seen,  until 
just  about  the  time  the  battle  ceased.  The  morn- 
ing had  dawned,  but  the  dense  fog  and  thick  smoke 
obscured  the  sun.  The  Kentuckians  did  not  seem 
to  appreciate  their  danger,  but  loaded  and  fired, 
and  swore,  laughed  and  joked  as  though  it  were  a 
frolic.  All  ranks  and  sections  were  soon  broken 
and  after  the  first  volley  every  man  loaded  and  fired 
at  will.  Sukey  did  not  fire  as  often  as  some  of  the 
others,  but  at  every  shot  he  went  up  to  the  breast- 
work, looked  over  until  he  could  see  a  redcoat,  and 
then  taking  aim  blazed  away.  After  each  shot  he 
paused  to  write  ill  his  book.  Lieutenant  Ashby, 
who  had  had  a  brother  killed  at  the  River  Raisin, 
seemed  frantic  with  rage  and  fiendish  glee.  He 
ran  up  and  down  the  line  yelling: 

"We'll  pay  you  now  for  the  River  Raisin! 
We'll  give  you  something  to  remember  the  River 
Raisin!"  When  the  British  came  up  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  breastwork,  having  no  gun,  he 
picked  up  a  rifle  barrel  which  had  been  broken 
from  the  stock  and  threw  it  over  at  them.  Then 
finding  an  iron  bar  he  leaped  upon  the  breastwork 
and  threw  it  at  the  mass  of  heads  crowding  forward 
to  scale  their  works. 

While  the  conflict  was  at  its  height,  when  Pack- 


NEW  ORLEANS.  415 

enham  was  leading  the  last  grand  charge  against 
the  earthworks,  Major  Stevens'  attention  was  di- 
rected by  repeated  and  vociferous  shouts  to  "  come 
down,"  to  an  object  on  his  right.  Turning  his 
eyes  in  that  direction,  he  saw  Sukey,  standing 
coolly  on  the  top  of  the  breastwork  peering  into 
the  darkness  for  something  to  shoot  at.  The  balls 
were  whistling  as  thick  as  hail  around  him,  and 
cutting  up  the  dirt  at  his  feet. 

"Come  down,  Sukey,  come  down!"  Fernando 
commanded.  Sukey  turned  round  and,  holding 
up  the  flap  of  his  old,  broad-brimmed  hat  with  one 
hand,  to  see  who  was  speaking  to  him,  answered: 

"  Oh,  never  mind,  Fernando — here's  Sukey — I 
don't  want  to  waste  my  powder,  and  I'd  like  to 
know  how  I'm  to  shoot  until  I  see  something. 
I'm  watching  for  that  man  on  the  big  white  horse. " 

It  was  not  long  until  Sukey  got  his  eye  on  the 
man  on  the  big  white  horse,  and  leveling  his  rifle 
pulled  the  trigger.  At  that  instant  Packenham 
fell,  bleeding  and  dying,  into  the  arms  of  Sir  Dun- 
can McDougall,  his  favorite  aid,  who  performed  a 
similar  service  for  General  Ross  when  he  was  mor- 

||h 

tally  wounded  a  few  months  before.  Sukey  coolly 
descended  from  the  breastwork  and,  sitting  down 
at  the  root  of  a  tree,  took  out  his  book  and  said : 

"I've  balanced  the  score.  They  flogged  me; 
but,  by  the  eternal,  I'm  more  than  even." 


416  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

During  the  action  some  of  the  Tennesseeans  be- 
came mixed  with  Smiley 's  regiment.  One  of  them 
was  killed  about  five  yards  from  where  Fernando 
stood.  A  ball  passed  through  his  head,  arid  from 
the  range  of  British  bullets  it  seemed  quite  proba- 
ble that  he  was  accidentally  shot  by  some  of  the 
Americans.  This  was  the  only  man  killed  near 
where  Fernando  stood.  The  firing  began  to  slacken 
when  he  fell.  While  three  or  four  men  were  carry- 
ing the  body  away,  a  white  flag  was  raised  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  breastwork,  and  the  firing 
ceased.  The  white  flag  was  a  handkerchief  on  a 
sword  or  stick.  It  was  raised  by  a  British  major, 
who  was  cut  off  and  unable  to  retreat  with  the  main 
army.  When  the  firing  ceased,  he  came  over  the 
breastwork.  A  little  Tennesseean,  who  looked  as 
if  he  had  spent  his  days  in  the  fever-infested 
swamps,  demanded  his  sword;  but  the  officer  was 
looking  about  for  some  commissioned  officer  to  give 
it  to,  when  Colonel  Smiley,  whose  democratic 
principles  were  at  enmity  with  punctilio,  ordered 
him  to  hand  over  the  sword  to  "  Paleface, "  as  the 
youth  was  called.  A  great  many  who  were  unable 
to  escape  in  the  retreat,  came  over  and  surrendered. 
Among  them,  Fernando  saw  a  very  neatly  dressed 
young  man,  standing  on  the  edge  of  the  breastwork 
offering  his  hand  as  if  for  some  one  to  assist  him 
down.  He  was  not  over  nineteen  years  of  age, 


NEW  ORLEANS.  417 

and  his  language  and  manner  indicated  the  gentle- 
man. 

Major  Stevens  took  his  musket  and  set  it  against 
the  breastwork  and  assisted  him  to  the  ground. 
He  at  once  began  to  take  off  his  cartouch  box,  and 
the  major  noticed  a  red  spot  on  his  clean,  white 
under  jacket. 

"  Are  you  wounded?"  Fernando  asked. 

"  Yes,  sir,  and  I  fear  badly. " 

"Let  me  help  you,  my  man!"  said  the  major, 
unbuckling  his  belt. 

"  Please  don't  take  my  canteen,  for  it  contains 
my  water. " 

"  I  shall  not  take  anything  that  does  not  encum- 
ber you. " 

Just  then  one  of  the  Tennesseeans  who  had  gone 
down  to  the  river  for  water  came  along  with  some 
in  a  coffee-pot.  The  wounded  man  saw  him,  and 
said: 

"  I  am  very  thirsty,  sir,  will  you  please  give  me 
a  drop?" 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  the  Tennesseean.  "  I  will  treat 
you  to  anything  I  have  got. "  The  young  man  took 
the  coffee-pot  and  swallowed  two  or  three  mouth  - 
fuls  out  of  the  spout,  and  handed  it  back.  In  an 
instant,  Fernando  saw  him  sinking  backward.  He 
called  to  Sukey,  who  was  near,  and  they  eased  him 
down  against  the  side  of  a  tent,  where  he  gave  two 
27 


418  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

or  three  gasps  and  was  dead.  He  had  been  shot 
through  the  breast. 

A  number  of  British  soldiers  and  officers  had 
sought  shelter  from  the  fire  of  the  Americans  in 
the  ditch  on  the  other  side  of  the  breastwork. 
These,  of  course,  being  unable  to  retreat  came  in 
and  surrendered.  When  the  smoke  lifted  from  the 
battlefield  it  disclosed  a  terrible  spectacle.  The 
field  looked  like  a  sea  of  blood,  for  it  was  literally 
covered  with  redcoats.  Straight  out  before  their 
position,  the  entire  space  occupied  by  the  British 
troops  was  covered  with  dead  or  wounded.  In 
some  places,  where  the  lines  had  made  a  stand, 
they  lay  in  piles  like  winrows  of  hay,  while  the  in- 
tervals between  were  more  thinly  sprinkled.  About 
two  hundred  yards  directly  in  front  of  their  posi- 
tion, lay  a  large  dapple  gray  horse,  which  was  said 
to  have  belonged  to  Packenham.  Nearly  half  way 
between  the  horse  and  the  breastworks  was  a  heap 
of  slain,  marking  the  spot  where  Packenham  fell ; 
his  horse  having  retreated  some  distance  before  it 
went  down. 

The  battle  was  over,  and  Sukey  sat  down  to  fin- 
ish his  breakfast  which  had  been  interrupted  by 
the  stirring  event. 

The  British  left  seven  hundred  dead  and  four- 
teen hundred  wounded  on  the  field,  while  five  hun- 
dred were  made  prisoners  making  a  loss  of  twenty- 


NEW  ORLEANS.  419 

six  hundred.  The  Americans  lost  eight  killed  and 
thirteen  wounded. 

Packenham  and  three  of  his  general  officers  slain 
in  the  fight  were  sent  to  England  in  casks  of  rum 
for  burial.  The  British  troops  under  General  Lam- 
bert stole  noiselessly  away  on  the  night  of  the  19th 
across  Lake  Borgne,  in  small  transports,  and  es- 
caped to  the  fleet.  They  then  besieged  Fort  Bowyer 
for  two  days,  February  20th  and  21st,  when  Major 
Lawrence,  who  was  in  command,  was  compelled 
to  surrender,  and  the  victors  were  about  to  push 
on  to  Mobile,  when  they  were  arrested  by  tidings 
of  peace. 

The  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  at  Ghent  on  De- 
cember 24th,  1814,  but,  owing  to  the  slow  means 
of  communication  in  those  days,  it  was  not  known 
in  America  until  the  following  February,  or  the 
battle  of  New  Orleans  would  never  have  been 
fought. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

CONCLUSION. 

THOUGH  the  United  States  of  America  had  sus- 
tained their  honor  in  the  war  of  1812,  the  fight 
was  never  fought  to  a  finish,  nor  were  the  results 
as  satisfactory  as  might  have  been  hoped. 

Had  peace  been  made  a  little  later,  America 
might  have  obtained  much  better  terms.  The  war 
had  been  waged  under  great  difficulties  by  the 
Americans,  who  were  not  wholly  united,  and  lacked 
money,  men,  arms,  ships  and  experience,  yet,  under 
all  these  great  difficulties,  the  United  States  came 
out  of  the  war  with  the  respect  of  the  world,  such 
as  it  had  never  before  enjoyed.  It  became  formi- 
dable to  Europe  as  a  great  and  vigorous  power,  with 
which  it  was  not  safe  to  trifle. 

This  was  still  more  apparent,  when  the  govern- 
ment declared  war  on  the  dey  of  Algiers,  one  of 
the  pirate  princes  of  North  Africa,  who,  for  hun- 
dreds of  years,  had  made  war  on  the  commerce  of 
all  nations  almost  with  impunity.  Having  violated 
their  treaty,  President  Madison  sent  a  naval  force 
420 


CONCLUSION.  421 

to  the  Mediterranean,  which,  on  June  17th  and 
19th,  captured  two  Algerian  vessels-of-war  and 
threatened  Algiers.  The  dey  made  peace  and  gave 
liberty  to  all  prisoners  without  ransom,  and  full 
satisfaction  for  damages  to  commerce. 

The  people  of  the  new  republic,  learning  by  ex- 
perience, in  the  year  1816,  began  improving  their 
coast  defences  and  increasing  their  navy.  Com- 
merce and  manufacturers  were  encouraged.  In  the 
autumn  of  1816,  James  Monroe  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  On  December  11,  1816, 
Indiana  was  admitted  to  the  Union  as  a  State. 

With  Monroe's  administration,  a  new  era  dawned 
for  America.  The  failure  of  the  French  revolu- 
tion, and,  finally,  the  failure  of  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte and  the  re-establishment  of  the  old  monarchy 
in  France,  as  the  result  first  of  the  excesses  of  the 
French  republic,  and  then  of  the  military  interfer- 
ence of  Bonaparte  with  the  existing  state  of  things 
in  Europe,  had  an  important  influence  in  modifying 
the  politics  of  the  Republican  party  in  the  United 
States;  so  they  came,  partially  in  Jefferson's  ad- 
ministration and  completely  by  the  close  of  Madi- 
son's, to  follow  the  wise  and  vigorous  policy  pur- 
sued by  Washington  and  the  Federal  party ;  while 
the  general  government  and  the  institutions  of  the 
country  became  deeply  imbued  with  the  regard  to 
popular  rights,  and  attention  to  the  interests  and 


422  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

will  of  the  people  that  formed  the  leading  idea  of 
Jefferson  and  the  original  Democratic,  or,  as  it  was 
then  called,  Republican  party. 

The  leading  events  of  Monroe's  two  administra- 
tions were  the  attention  given  to  internal  improve- 
ments, among  which  may  be  mentioned  the  Erie 
canal  in  New  York,  the  encouragement  of  manu- 
factures, the  acquisition  of  Florida  by  treaty,  the 
Seminole  war,  the  Missouri  compromise,  December 
14th,  1819,  the  Monroe  Doctrine,  promulgated  in 
1822,  and  the  visit  of  General  Lafayette  to  the 
United  States,  in  August,  1824. 

But  little  explanation  of  these  events  is  neces- 
sary. In  December,  1817,  Mississippi  was  ad- 
mitted into  the  Union,  and  Alabama  became  a 
territory.  On  March  2,  1819,  Arkansas  was  or- 
ganized into  a  territory,  and  on  December  14,  Ala- 
bama was  admitted  to  the  Union.  In  this  year 
commenced  the  earnest  and  acrimonious  discussion 
between  the  North  and  South  in  regard  to  the 
extension  of  slavery.  Both  Maine  and  Missouri 
sought  admission  as  States.  Maine  was  admitted, 
March  15th,  1820,  and,  after  a  two  years'  wild  de- 
bate, it  was  thought  the  whole  question  of  slavery 
was  settled  by  the  Missouri  Compromise,  February 
27,  1821.  This  compromise  was  the  adoption  of 
a  provision  in  the  bill  for  the  admission  of  Missouri, 
that  in  all  territory  south  of  thirty -six  degrees  and 


CONCLUSION.  423 

thirty  minutes  north  latitude  (the  southern  boun- 
dary of  the  State  of  Missouri)  slavery  might  exist; 
but  it  was  prohibited  in  the  region  north  of  that 
line.  A  member  of  congress  from  Georgia  pro- 
phetically said  in  the  course  of  the  debate : 

"  A  fire  has  been  kindled,  which  all  the  waters 
of  the  ocean  cannot  put  out,  and  which  only  seas 
of  blood  can  extinguish. "  Had  the  Missouri  Com- 
promise been  kept  inviolate  to  the  present  day, 
slavery  might  still  have  existed  below  thirty-six 
degrees  and  thirty  minutes  north  latitude. 

The  commerce  of  the  United  States  was  greatly 
injured  by  swarms  of  privateers  under  Spanish- 
American  flags,  who  had  degenerated  into  pirates, 
and  so  became  outlaws,  subject  to  chastisement  by 
any  nation. 

They  infested  the  West  Indian  seas  and  the 
northern  coast  of  South  America.  Against  these 
pirates  and  to  protect  American  commerce,  the 
United  States  sent  Commodore  Perry,  with  two 
ships  of  war,  in  the  spring  of  1819.  Perry  died 
of  yellow  fever  soon  after  his  arrival  in  southern 
waters.  In  June,  1822,  Captain  Allen,  of  the 
United  States  schooner  Alligator,  successfully  fought 
a  band  of  pirates  in  the  West  Indies,  captured  one 
of  their  schooners,  and  recaptured  five  American 
vessels ;  but  Captain  Allen  was  subsequently  killed 
in  an  encounter  with  the  bold  buccaneers.  The 


434  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

next  year  Commodore  Porter,  with  a  larger  force, 
entered  the  pirate  infested  waters  and  almost  com- 
pletely destroyed  the  buccaneers.  It  was  the  policy 
of  the  government  of  the  United  States  to  favor  the 
revolt  of  the  Spanish-American  provinces,  whose 
flag  these  pirates  had  dishonored,  as  a  means  for 
preventing  the  establishment,  in  the  future,  of 
monarchical  powers  on  the  American  continent. 
The  latter  policy  was  avowed  by  the  president, 
and  has  never  been  lost  sight  of  by  our  govern- 
ment, and  is  known  in  history  as  the  "  Monroe  Doc- 
trine." Accordingly,  on  the  recommendation  of 
the  president,  congress,  early  in  1822,  resolved  by 
a  unanimous  vote  to  recognize  the  independence  of 
five  of  the  revolted  colonies,  and  appropriated 
$100,000  to  defray  the  expenses  of  envoys  to  the 
seat  of  government  of  each,  whom  the  president 
soon  afterward  appointed. 

The  year  1824  was  marked  by  the  visit  of  Wash- 
ington's and  America's  best  friend  General  Lafay- 
ette. As  every  boy  has  read  of  the  visit  of  this 
good  man,  only  a  brief  mention  of  so  important  an 
event  is  necessary.  He  arrived  at  New  York  Au- 
gust 15,  1824,  and  never  did  visitor  receive  so 
warm  welcome  by  any  nation. 

"  Many  interesting  incidents  occurred  during 
Lafayette's  tour  through  the  country.  A  touch- 
ing one  was  related  to  the  writer,  many  years  ago, 


CONCLUSION.  425 

by  George  Washington  Parke  Custis,  the  adopted 
son  of  General  Washington.  In  October,  1824, 
Lafayette  visited  Mount  Vernon  and  the  tomb  of 
Washington.  He  was  conveyed  to  the  shore  from 
the  steamboat  in  a  barge,  accompanied  by  his  son 
(who  had  lived  at  Mount  Vernon  with  Custis  when 
they  were  boys),  secretary  John  C.  Calhoun,  and 
Mr.  Custis.  At  the  shore,  he  was  received  by 
Lawrence  Lewis,  a  nephew  of  Washington,  and 
the  family  of  Judge  Bushrod  Washington,  who 
was  absent  on  official  business.  He  was  conducted 
to  the  mansion  where,  forty  years  before,  he  took 
his  last  leave  of  the  patriot,  whom  he  most  sincerely 
loved  as  a  father.  Then  the  company  proceeded 
to  the  tomb  of  Washington  (the  old  one  on  the 
brow  of  the  hill),  when  Mr.  Custis,  after  a  brief 
speech,  presented  the  general  with  a  gold  ring  con- 
taining a  lock  of  Washington's  hair.  Lafayette 
received  it  with  emotion,  and,  after  thanking  the 
donor,  he  affectionately  embraced  him  and  the 
other  gentlemen  present.  Then  he  fervently  pressed 
his  lips  to  the  door  of  the  vault.  It  was  opened 
and  there  were  displayed  the  coffins  of  Washington 
and  his  wife,  decorated  with  flowers.  The  general 
descended  the  steps,  kissed  the  leaden  caskets, 
while  tears  suffused  his  cheeks,  and  then  reverently 
retired."  * 

•Lossing's"  Our  Country,  "Vol.  V.,  p.  1327. 


426  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Shortly  after  peace  was  declared,  Fernando's 
regiment  was  mustered  out  of  the  service,  and  he 
and  Sukey  went  to  their  homes  in  Ohio.  Both  had 
done  their  share  toward  preserving  the  honor  of 
their  country  and  wished  to  retire  to  private  life. 
A  great  change  had  come  over  Sukey.  The  text 
quoted  by  Fernando  on  the  morning  when  they 
found  Captain  Snipes  dead  among  the  rocks  seemed 
ever  to  ring  in  his  ear. 

"  Vengeance  is  mine,  I  will  repay,  saith  the 
Lord. "  He  proceeded  to  a  careful  study  of  the 
sentence,  and  from  that  became  a  student  of  the 
Bible.  A  few  days  after  their  return,  he  said: 

"  Fernando,  what  I  did  during  the  war  was 
right,  but  was  not  done  in  the  right  spirit.  I  shot 
from  revenge.  I  killed  because  I  hated  the  British 
officers.  I  seemed  to  feel  the  stinging  cuts  of  the 
cat  on  my  back.  That  flogging  made  a  devil  of 
me.  I  hated  the  sight  of  a  redcoat.  It's  all  gone 
now — not  that  my  revenge  is  satiated,  but  because 
I  am  changed.  A  new  light  has  been  opened  up 
to  my  mind,  and  I  can  see  it  was  no  disgrace  to  be 
flogged  for  freedom.  It  was  the  ignorance  of  my 
enemies  that  I  should  have  pitied  instead  of  con- 
demned.",. 

Fernando  suspected  the  bent  of  Sukey 's  mind 
long  before  he  made  the  announcement  that  he  in- 
tended to  enter  the  ministry.  Back  to  the  Mary- 


CONCLUSION.  427 

land  Academy  at  Baltimore  went  Sukey.  He  en- 
tered the  theological  department,  and  four  years 
later  began  a  long  and  successful  ministerial  career. 

Major  Stevens  had  not  forgotten  his  promise  to 
pay  the  Maryland  village  a  visit.  If  he  had  been 
disposed  to  forget  his  promise,  which  he  was  not, 
he  would  have  been  reminded  of  it  by  a  letter 
which  he  received  shortly  after  he  returned  home. 
The  envelope  was  small,  and  the  superscription 
was  written  in  a  neat  feminine  hand.  Small  as 
the  envelope  was,  the  letter  contained  much,  for  it 
was  closely  written  and  every  page  filled  from  top 
to  bottom.  There  were  other  letters  and  petitions 
from  the  grateful  citizens  asking  him  to  be  present 
at  the  barbecue  and  Fourth  of  July  celebration  at 
the  town  of  Mariana.  None  of  these  letters  or  in- 
vitations had  stronger  effect  to  induce  him  to  take 
a  journey  to  Maryland,  than  the  closely  penned 
missive  did,  though  it  was  only  a  friendly  letter. 

Fernando  set  out  the  first  of  June.  Peace  again 
reigned  over  the  fair  land,  and  the  country  was  all 
ablaze  with  glory.  The  ploughboy's  whistle  was 
heard  in  every  field  in  harmony  with  the  lark. 
The  journey  by  mail  coach  was  a  pleasant  one,  for, 
being  in  no  great  haste,  he  traveled  by  easy  stages, 
stopping  over  frequently  to  rest.  He  saw  on  every 
hand  evidence  of  awakening  interest  and  prosperity. 
New  houses  were  building;  new  towns  were  laid 


428  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

out ;  new  fields  were  inviting  the  ploughman ;  the 
busy  hum  of  industry  everywhere  filled  the  heart 
of  the  patriot,  and  he  more  than  once  exclaimed: 

"  What  a  great  country  is  ours!" 

He  arrived  at  Baltimore  at  the  close  of  a  delight- 
ful day,  and  alighted  in  front  of  the  principal  tav- 
ern. Some  one,  rushing  across  the  street,  pushed 
pedestrians  right  and  left  and  howled  in  a  voice 
loud  enough  to  be  heard  three  blocks  away : 

"  Tear  and  ages !  Clear  the  track ! — that's  him- 
self— divil  a  one  else!" 

This  exclamation  came  from  Terrence  Malone, 
who,  bareheaded  and  in  shirt  sleeves,  was  rushing 
through  the  throng  of  people  on  the  street  in  reck- 
less disregard  of  high  hats  and  crinoline.  Women 
screamed  and  one  hysterical  creature  tried  to  faint, 
but  was  restrained  by  the  fear  that  her  elegant  cos- 
tume might  be  soiled. 

"  Call  the  watchman !  Take  that  fellow  and  lock 
him  up!  knock  him  down!  Who  is  the  wretch?" 

These  are  only  a  part  of  the  imprecations  heaped 
on  the  devoted  head  of  Terrence  Malone,  who,  re- 
gardless of  everything  and  everybody,  burst  his 
way  through  the  crowd  and  reached  Fernando 's 
side. 

"  O,  murther!  O,  holy  mother!  O,  Moses!  Is 
it  yersilf  safe  afther  all?" 

The  poor  fellow  could  say  no  more,  but  burst 


CONCLUSION.  429 

into  tears,  for  a  more  tender  heart  never  beat  in 
any  breast.  Terrence  bad  just  arrived  an  hour 
before  in  Baltimore,  having  come  from  a  long  cruise 
in  which  he  brought  four  prizes,  for  the  privateers 
were  slow  to  learn  that  the  war  was  over.  He  had 
put  up  at  a  rival  house  across  the  street  and  just 
removed  his  coat  for  a  bath,  when,  looking  out 
of  the  window,  he  recognized  his  old  friend 
alighting  from  the  stage  coach. 

All  former  arrangements  were  cancelled  and  Fer- 
nando and  Terrence  that  evening  occupied  the  same 
room.  There  was  much  to  talk  about.  Terrence 
told  him  that  Mr.  Hugh  St.  Mark  the  "  illigant" 
gunner  had  served  in  the  last  cruise  on  his  vessel, 
and  he  never  seemed  to  tire  of  talking  about  him. 
He  was  a  "  gintleman, "  from  the  sole  of  his  foot  to 
the  crown  of  his  head.  Mr.  St.  Mark  was  on  the 
ship  in  the  harbor,  and  next  day  came  ashore.  He 
greeted  the  major  with  his  kind  quiet  smile.  Fer- 
nando learned  that  neither  had  been  to  Mariana 
since  the  bombardment  and  destruction  of  the 
Xenophon.  He  prevailed  on  them  to  accompany 
him,  and  next  day  in  a  swift  yacht  they  sailed  out 
of  the  harbor  and  down  the  coast.  The  scenery 
revived  many  recollections  of  Fernando 's  early  ex- 
perience. They  passed  the  point  where  he  had 
fought  his  duel,  and  he  could  not  repress  a  smile 
at  the  ludicrous  termination  of  what  had  so  nearly 


430  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

proved  a  serious  affair.  Terrence  did  most  of  the 
talking,  for  Fernando  was  busy  with  his  own  re- 
flections. He  was  asking  himself  if  it  might  be 
possible  that  he  would  be  just  in  time  to  witness 
the  nuptials  of  Matson  and  Morgianna.  He  had 
never  freed  himself  from  the  thought  that  she  loved 
the  lieutenant.  Her  regard  for  himself  was  grati- 
tude not  love.  He  would  not  allow  himself  to  be- 
lieve that  she  entertained  a  more  tender  sentiment. 

When  they  arrived  at  Mariana  the  people  con- 
gregated in  a  great  crowd  on  the  beach,  and  the 
local  martial  band,  consisting  of  three  drums  and  a 
fife,  played  "  Yankee  Doodle, "  while  Fernando  and 
his  friends  were  escorted  to  the  tavern.  Here  a 
local  orator,  who  had  been  three  times  an  unsuc- 
cessful candidate  for  a  seat  in  the  halls  of  the  leg- 
islature, made  a  short  speech.  This  had  scarcely 
terminated  in  three  rousing  cheers,  when  a  carriage 
from  Captain  Lane's  house  came  rattling  down  the 
street.  The  captain  was  in  the  vehicle. 

"  Why  are  you  cheering?  Who  has  arrived?" 
he  demanded. 

"  Major  Stevens,  who  saved  Mariana,  when  the 
British  were  about  to  take  it, "  the  orator  answered. 

"Where  is  he?" 

"In  the  tavern." 

"  But  he  is  not  going  to  stay  there!"  thundered 
the  old  sailor,  rolling  out  of  his  carriage  and  rush- 


CONCLUSION.  431 

ing  on  the  piazza.  "  I  have  made  room  in  my  own 
house  for  him,  and,  by  the  trident  of  Neptune!  he 
shall  come  with  me." 

Fernando,  hearing  the  voice  of  his  old  friend, 
came  out  to  grasp  his  hand;  and  Captain  Lane, 
pointing  to  his  carriage,  swore  he  had  corne  to  take 
him  bag  and  baggage  to  his  house.  Fernando  ex- 
plained that  he  had  two  friends;  but  the  captain 
did  not  care  if  he  had  a  dozen,  and  in  less  time 
than  the  whole  matter  could  be  told  the  three  trav- 
ellers found  themselves  in  the  vehicle  whirling  up 
the  avenue  of  trees,  many  of  which  still  bore  the 
marks  of  shells  and  cannon  shot. 

The  greeting  between  Fernando  and  Morgianna 
was  warm,  but  formal.  Terrence  impulsively 
grasped  the  little  hand  of  the  "  maid  o'  the  beach, " 
as  he  called  her,  and  paid  her  some  pretty  compli- 
ment, which  caused  her  to  blush,  enhancing  her 
beauty  a  hundred  fold. 

She  was  formally  introduced  to  Mr.  St.  Mark, 
the  gunner  whose  skill  had  saved  them.  She  had 
seen  the  quiet  man  at  a  distance  during  the  siege, 
but  had  never  talked  with  him. 

"  Say,  Fernando,  do  yez  mark  how  Misther  St. 
Mark  stares  at  Miss  Morgianna?"  asked  Terrence 
that  evening.  "  Bad  luck  to  his  ill  manners,  if  he 
wasn't  so  ould,  I'd  think  he  was  in  love  with  her. " 

Fernando   made   no   response.      Captain   Lane, 


432  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

during  the  evening,  engaged  St.  Mark  in  a  discus- 
sion about  General  Jackson,  who  was  undergoing 
a  trial  by  the  civil  courts  of  New  Orleans  for  the 
violation  of  the  civil  laws  in  saving  the  city.  Cap- 
tain Lane  was  loud  in  his  condemnation  of  the 
Peace  faction,  which,  not  satisfied  with  having 
thrown  every  possible  obstacle  in  the  way  of  the 
administration  in  the  prosecution  of  the  war,  was 
now  ridiculing  the  manner  in  which  it  had  ter- 
minated. 

Fernando  and  Morgianna,  during  the  course  of 
the  evening,  found  themselves  alone,  and  he  ven- 
tured to  ask : 

"  Is  Lieutenant  Matson  in  America?" 

"I  think  not,"  she  answered,  in  a  careless  way 
that  astonished  him.  He  fixed  his  eyes  on  the 
floor  for  a  moment,  and  then  ventured  to  say : 

"  Pardon  me,  Miss  Lane,  but  as  your  friend  I  am 
interested  in  your  affairs ; — when  is  it  to  come  off?" 

"  When  is  what  to  come  off?"  she  asked  in  real 
surprise. 

"  Your  marriage  with  Lieutenant  Matson." 

She  gazed  at  him  a  moment  in  astonishment, 
and  then  her  old  native  mischievousness  got  con- 
trol, and  she  laughed  outright.  His  very  earnest- 
ness gave  the  affair  an  air  of  ludicrousness. 

"  I  am  in  earnest,  Miss  Lane, "  said  Fernando, 
seriously. 


CONCLUSION.  433 

"So  I  perceive,"  and  she  still  laughed  provok- 
ingly. 

"  May  I  ask  if  you  have  not  been  engaged  all 
along  to  Lieutenant  Matson?" 

"No." 

"  When  was  it  broken  off?" 

"  It  never  was  made. " 

Fernando  turned  his  face  away  to  hide  his  con- 
fusion and  said  half  aloud : 

"  Have  I  been  a  fool  all  along?  If  it  was  not 
the  lieutenant,  then  who  in  the  name  of  reason  was 
it?"  The  roguish  creature  seemed  really  to  enjoy 
this  discomfiture.  Fernando's  cheek  had  never 
blanched  in  battle,  but  in  the  presence  of  this  little 
maiden  he  was  a  coward.  After  several  efforts  in 
which  he  found  the  old  malady  of  something  rising 
in  his  throat  returning,  he  said : 

"  But,  Morgianna,  was  he  not  your  lover?" 

"  No,  he  was  father's  friend;  but  I  could  never 
love  him,  though  I  treated  him  respectfully. "  She 
was  serious  now. 

"Then,  Morgianna,  who  was  it?"  he  asked  im- 
pulsively. She  was  silent.  He  waited  but  a  sec- 
ond or  two  and  went  on.  "  Some  one  surely  stood 
in  the  way  of  our — my  happiness.  I  had  hoped 
that  you  did  not  despise  me.  I  scarce  dared  to 
think  you  loved  me,  but  it  was  some  one, — who 
stood  in  my  way?" 
28 


434  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

Her  cheek  grew  crimson  as  the  rich  blood 
mounted  to  neck  and  face,  and  in  a  voice  scarce 
audible  she  answered : 

"No  one!" 

"Morgianna!''  he  whispered,  "dare  I  hope — 
dare  I  for  one  minute — "  he  had  risen  to  his  feet 
and  was  standing  at  her  side  with  wildly  beating 
heart.  She  made  no  answer,  but  her  long  droop- 
ing lashes  almost  concealed  her  eyes,  as  she  gazed 
on  the  floor. 

He  advanced  a  step  nearer,  bent  over  and  took 
one  little  trembling  hand  in  his  own.  She  did  not 
attempt  to  withdraw  it  this  time,  and,  gently  slip- 
ping his  disengaged  arm  about  her  waist,  he  mur- 
mured : 

"  Morgianna!" 

Still  she  was  silent.     He  went  on : 

"  You  know  how  I  have  loved  you  all  these 
years ; — you  must  have  known  how  I  have  suffered 
and  braved  dangers  untold.  I  sought — defied 
death,  because  I  deemed  you  lost.  I  spared  the 
man  I  thought  my  rival,  because  I  believed  you 
'loved  him.  Though  a  young  man,  there  are  gray 
hairs  in  my  head,  for  it  has  been  a  living  death 
since  that  night,  Morgianna.  Why  have  you " 

"Oh,  don't,  don't!"  she  plead,  tears  starting 
to  her  beautiful  eyes.  "  Don't  speak  that  way — 
forgive  me." 


CONCLUSION.  435 

"Morgianna!"  cried  Fernando,  "Morgianna!" 

"Call  me  that;  aye  call  me  that  always,"  ex- 
claimed the  captain's  little  daughter ;  "  never  speak 
coldly  to  me,  never  be  distant,  never  again  reprove 
me  for  the  follies  I  have  long  repented,  or  I  shall 
die,  Fernando." 

"  I  reprove  you  !"  said  Fernando. 

"  Yes,  for  every  kind  and  honest  word  you  ut- 
tered went  to  my  heart.  For  you  who  have  borne 
so  much  from  me — for  you,  who  owe  your  suffer- 
ing to  my  caprice — for  you  to  be  so  kind — so  noble 
tome — oh,  Fernando!" 

He  could  say  nothing,  not  a  syllable.  There 
was  an  odd  sort  of  eloquence  in  his  arm,  which  had 
crept  further  round  her  waist,  and  their  lips  met. 

The  barbecue  and  celebration  was  next  day. 
Fernando  was  present,  but  a  little  absent-minded. 
When  called  on  for  a  speech,  his  ideas  were  con- 
fused, and  he  was  about  to  break  down,  when  a 
voice  behind  him  whispered: 

"  Ye're  makin'  a  divil's  own  mess  of  it,  Fer- 
nando, lave  it  to  me. " 

He  took  Terrence  at  his  word,  and  announced 
that  his  Irish  friend,  one  of  the  defenders  of  Mari- 
ana, would  now  address  them,  and  gave  way  to  the 
orator.  Terrence  did  the  subject  justice.  With 
the  rich  brogue  of  Ireland  rolling  from  his  tongue, 
he  avowed  himself  an  American.  He  declared  that 


436  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

he  was  a  better  American  than  many  present,  as 
he  was  an  American  from  choice,  and  they  by 
necessity.  Terrence  was  an  orator,  and  with  his 
ready  wit,  soon  had  the  audience  roaring  and  wild 
with  enthusiasm. 

Fernando  did  not  hear  much  of  the  speech,  for 
he  and  Morgianna  had  stolen  away  to  the  rocky 
promontory  to  listen  to  the  sad  sea  waves,  while 
they  built  air  castles  for  the  future. 

Next  day,  Mr.  St.  Mark  expressed  a  wish  to  see 
Captain  Lane  in  private.  The  request  was  granted, 
and  when  they  were  alone  in  the  apartment  of  the 
old  sea-captain,  St.  Mark  said: 

"  Pardon  me,  Captain  Lane ;  but  I  wish  to  speak 
to  you  on  family  matters,  which  may  seem  not  to 
concern  me. " 

"  Heave  ahead,  shipmate,  for  I  have  no  family 
secrets. " 

"  Will  you  tell  me  the  maiden  name  of  your 
wife?" 

"  I  never  had  a  wife. " 

This  announcement  brought  St.  Mark  to  his  feet, 
and  his  usually  placid  features  exhibited  the  wildest 
excitement.  "  Never  married !  But  your  daugh- 
ter  " 

"  Only  daughter  by  adoption,  shipmate.  She  is 
no  blood  relation  to  me,  though  I  love  her  as  dearly 
as  any  father  could. " 


CONCLUSION.  437 

"  But  her  father — her  mother?" 

"  I  don't  know  who  either  of  them  are,  I  can 
only  suspect. " 

"  Don't  you  know  their  names?" 

"I  never  did." 

"This  is  remarkable!"  and  the  features  of  the 
usually  quiet  man  betrayed  the  greatest  excite- 
ment. "  Where  did  you  find  her  and  when?" 

"  I  found  her  at  sea  when  she  was  a  baby,  too 
young  to  speak  or  remember  anything  of  herself." 

"  Captain  Lane,  do  you  mind  telling  me  all  about 
the  finding  of  her?" 

The  captain  did  not,  and  proceeded  to  tell  him 
the  story  of  Morgianna,  which  the  reader  already 
knows.  St.  Mark  had  regained  his  composure  at 
the  conclusion  of  the  story  and,  in  a  calm,  clear 
voice,  said: 

"  Captain,  I  may  have  the  sequel  to  your  story. 
I  am  a  native  of  Vermont  and,  at  the  age  of  twenty - 
two,  married  Bertha  Rigdon  of  Boston,  whose 
brother  Alfred,  like  myself,  was  a  sea  captain. 
We  were  both  young,  ardent  lovers  of  liberty,  and 
thoroughly  imbued  with  the  ideas  of  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson in  regard  to  the  French  Revolution.  When 
our  government  refused  to  take  up  the  quarrel  with 
France,  we  determined  to  espouse  her  cause  our- 
selves. Both  our  fathers  had  died  prisoners  on 
board  the  old  Jersey  prison  ship,  and  we  felt  that 


438  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

our  lives  should  be  devoted  to  avenging  them. 
This  resolution  was  wicked,  and  perhaps  the  pun- 
ishment which  followed  we  deserved. 

"  We  each  commanded  a  vessel  which  began  a 
warfare  on  English  commerce,  defying  all  their 
embargo  acts  and  neutrality  laws.  We  were  soon 
declared  outlaws  and  prices  set  on  our  heads.  Not 
only  Great  Britain,  but  Spain,  Prussia  and  Aus- 
tria declared  us  pirates,  and  our  own  government 
dared  not  shelter  us. 

"  My  wife,  with  our  infant  child,  accompanied 
me  on  my  last  voyage.  I  was  sailing  in  company 
with  her  brother,  Captain  Alf  Eigdon,  when  we 
were  chased  by  some  British  cruisers  off  Kio  in 
June,  1796,  and  Alf's  brig  being  the  swiftest 
sailer,  I  sent  my  wife  and  child  aboard  his  vessel, 
with  a  large  sum  of  money  to  have  them  conveyed 
to  the  United  States  and  cared  for  until  we  could 
return. 

"  I  parted  from  the  ship  and  after  a  three  days' 
chase  was  overhauled  by  the  British  cruisers 
and  captured.  I  was  forced  to  join  her  navy  to 
save  my  life,  and  served  Great  Britain  until  I  de- 
serted during  the  siege  of  Mariana.  I  have  never 
heard  of  my  brother-in-law,  my  wife  or  child 
since." 

Captain  Lane  prided  himself  on  being  able  to 
control  his  feelings  under  all  circumstances;  but 


CONCLUSION.  439 

it  required  no  little  effort  for  him  to  do  so  now. 
After  a  few  moments,  he  asked : 

"  What  was  the  name  of  your  brother-in-law's 
ship?" 

"  Morgiarina  /" 

Captain  Lane  did  not  start,  for  he  expected  this. 

"  Was  he  a  free  mason?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Can  you  describe  how  he  looked  then?" 

"  He  was  about  thirty-five  years  of  age,  a  little 
above  middle  height,  with  a  broad  forehead,  over 
which  fine  brown  hair  fell  in  careless  folds;  he 
wore  his  beard  and  mustache  long,  the  beard  ex- 
tending in  a  point  two  or  three  inches  below  the 
throat.  His  eyes  were  brown,  large  and  full  of 
expression  while  in  conversation.  He  was  brave, 
noble,  and  all  that  goes  to  make  up  a  grand  man." 

"  And  your  wife,  can  you  describe  her?" 

"  She  was  an  exact  counterpart  of  your  daughter. " 

Captain  Lane  rose  and  with  considerable  emo- 
tion grasped  the  hand  of  St.  Mark,  and  said: 

"  My  daughter  is  your  daughter. " 

Then  came  the  serious  task  of  breaking  the  in- 
telligence to  Morgianna. 

It  was  done  deliberately  and  quietly,  without 
any  sensational  scene.  Yet  her  joy  at  discovering 
her  father  increased  her  happiness  almost  to  over- 
flowing. "  I  am  more  blest  than  most  girls, "  she 


440  SUSTAINED  HONOR. 

declared.  "  I  have  two  fathers,  and  while  I  will 
learn  to  love  my  new  father,  I  will  not  forget  to 
love  my  old  father. " 

The  marriage  of  Fernando  and  Morgianna  was 
celebrated  the  following  autumn  at  the  new  church 
which  had  been  erected  over  the  ashes  of  the  for- 
mer one.  Both  of  Morgianna's  fathers  were  pres- 
ent ;  but  to  her  real  father  was  consigned  the  honor 
of  giving  away  the  bride. 

Terrence  and  Sukey  were  present.  The  Irish- 
man declared  the  matter  might  have  been  consum- 
mated long  ago  if  they  had  only  left  it  to  him. 

The  wedding  day  was  made  a  public  holiday  in 
the  village.  Never  in  all  its  existence  was  the 
little  hamlet  so  gay.  Bands  played,  choruses  sang, 
and  the  old  cannon,  still  left  at  the  tumble-down 
fort,  fired  a  salute,  while  American  flags  waved 
from  every  house.  The  local  orator,  who  still  en- 
tertained hopes  of  the  legislature,  delivered  a  stir- 
ring address. 

Job,  who  heard  of  the  happy  event,  came  all  the 
way  from  Baltimore  to  shake  the  hand  of  "  Massa 
Stevens"  and  wish  him  much  joy. 

"I  iz  all  right  now,  massa, "  he  declared.  "I 
iz  found  my  own  sure  enough  massa  agin,  an'  I'm 
goin'  back  to  work  for  him  all  de  time.  No  more 
goin'  to  sea  fer  me;  I  iz  no  Britisher." 

Fernando  and  his  father-in-law,  soon  after  his 


CONCLUSION.  441 

marriage,  engaged  in  manufacturing  enterprises  in 
New  England,  with  Captain  Lane  as  the  silent 
partner  and  moneyed  man  of  the  enterprise.  Home 
industries  having  been  fostered  by  the  war,  Ameri- 
can manufactures  promised  a  bright  future. 

Sukey  was  for  many  years  a  prominent  minister 
of  the  Gospel  in  Ohio.  Terrence  studied  law  and 
became  a  leading  member  of  the  Philadelphia  bar. 

Mariana  is  now  no  more.  Time  and  disaster 
have  swept  it  from  the  peninsula,  and  to-day  it  re- 
mains only  in  the  memory  of  the  oldest  inhabitants. 
The  Stevens  family,  though  subjected  to  many  dis- 
asters, has  grown,  and  become  a  part  of  the  history 
of  the  country.  The  humble  part  played  by  Fer- 
nando in  sustaining  the  honor  of  his  country  has 
never  been  recorded  by  the  general  historian ;  but 
it  lingers  in  the  memory  of  the  grateful  posterity 
of  many  of  the  heroic  men  and  women  who  lived 
in  the  trying  days  of  the  early  history  of  the  Great 
Kepublic  of  the  New  World. 


THE    END. 


HISTORICAL   IKDEX. 


PAGE 

Adams,  John,  first  minister  to  Court  of  St.  James 61 

Adams'  proposition  of  reciprocity  rejected  by  England.  62 
Alabama  and  Arkansas  organized  as  Territories  and 

Alabama  becomes  a  State 422 

Alert  captured  by  the  Essex 333 

Alexandria  plundered  by  British 353 

Algerians  force  Americans  to,  pay  tribute 56 

American  army  at  Detroit 250 

Americans  attacked  at  River  Raisin 302 

Americans  return  to  Detroit : 317 

Americans  repulsed  at  La  Colle 326 

American  troops  at  Bladensburg 349 

Attack  by  British  on  Plattsburg  fails 330 

Bainbridge  forced  to  convey  the  Algerine  ambassador 

to  Constantinople 56 

Baltimore  threatened  by  the  enemy 354 

Barclay,  Commodore,  defeated  at  Lake  Erie 306 

Barker,  Mr. ,  warns  Mrs.  Madison  to  fly 352 

Barren,  Commodore,  suspended  from  the  navy 76 

Battle  of  Bladensburg 350 

Battle  of  Chicago 254 

Battle  of  Chippewa 327 

Battle  of  Chrysler's  Farm 321 

Battle  of  Emucfau 325 

Battle  of  Fort  Stephenson 807 

Battle  of  Horse-shoe  Bend 325 

443 


444  HISTORICAL  INDEX. 

I'AGE 

Battle  of  Lake  Erie '. 306 

Battle  of  Lundy  's  Lane 328 

Battle  of  New  Orleans 411 

Battle  of   Queenstown 288 

Battle  of  River  Raisin 302 

Battle  of  Sackett's  Harbor 323 

Battle  of  the  Thames  and  death  of  Tecumseh 318 

Battle  of  Tippecanoe 1 24 

Black  Partridge  saves  Mrs.  Helm  at  Chicago 225 

Blockades  of  French  and  English 69 

Bonaparte  conquers  almost  all  of  Europe 56 

Boerstler,  General,  captured  at  Beaver's  Dam 323 

British  agent  at  Pensacola  offers  Indians  five  dollars 

for  each  scalp 324 

British  arraigned  by  committee  on  foreign  relations. .   128 

British  at  Lake  Borgne 407 

British  capture  Washington,  and  burn  Capitol 352 

British  discrimination  in  favor  of  New  England  States.  280 

British  impressment  of  American  seamen 71 

British  repulsed  at  Fort  Erie 329 

British  instigate  Indians  to  an  uprising. . .  % 115 

Brock,  General,  proceeds  to  attack  Detroit 250 

Brown,  General  Jacob,  at  Kingston 293 

Brown  repulses  Prevost  at  Sackett's  Harbor 323 

Brown,  General,  at  Lundy 's  Lane 328 

Burr's,  Aaron,  conspiracy 59 

Calhoun,  John  C.,  in  debate  favors  war 129 

Camp  meeting  in  the  old  pioneer  days 17 

Canada  divided  into  Upper  and  Lower  Canada 247 

Canada,  invasion  of 249 

Chandler  and  Winder,  Generals,  captured 323 

Chauncey,  Commodore,  blockading  British  at  Kings- 
ton    293 

Chesapeake  attacked  by  Leopard 75 

Chesapeake  captured  by  Shannon 338 


HISTORICAL  INDEX.  445 

PAGE 

Citizen  Genet,  insolence  of 65 

Clay,  Henry,  speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives.   128 

Clennont,  Fulton's tirst steamboat 94 

Coffee,  General,  defeats  Indians  at  Tallahatchee 324 

Committee  of  Democrats  inform  Madison  he  must  de- 
clare war 243 

Contraband  munitions  of  war 66 

Constitution,  the,  captures  Guerriere 332 

Constitution,  the,  captures  the  Java 338 

Constitution,   February  28,   1815,  captures  two  British 

vessels 340 

Creek  Indians  in  South  attack  Fort  Minims 323 

Croghan,  Major  George,  in  command  of  Fort  Stephen - 

son 307 

Dearborn  commissioned  major-general 246 

Decatur,  Stephen,  destroys  ship  Philadelphia 57 

Defeat  of  the  prophet 126 

Democratic  party,  how  organized 46 

Detroit  besieged 250 

Detroit  surrendered  by  Hull 251 

"  Don't  give  up  the  ship" 338 

Dudley,  Colonel,  mortally  wounded  near  Fort  Meigs. . .  306 

Effects  of  the  Embargo  Act 71 

Embargo  Act  of  1807 70 

Embargo  laid  on  commerce  for  forty  days  before  de- 
claring war 243 

Emigrants  to  the  Ohio— the  journey 4 

Emperor  of  Russia  offers  himself  as  a  mediator  between 

the  United  States  and  Great  Britain 321 

England's  idea  of  American  independence  of  colonies.     62 

Enterprise,  the,  captures  the  British  Boxer 339 

Essex  captures  the  Alert  in  a  fight  of  eight  minutes. . . .  338 

Essex  captures  twelve  British  whalers 338 

Essex  captured  by  two  British  men-of-war 389 

Federal  party,  how  organized 46 


446  HISTORICAL   INDEX. 

PAGE 

Floyd,  General,  defeats  Indians  at  Autossee 324 

Fort  Stephenson,  British  repulsed  at 307 

Fort  George  captured  by  General  Scott  and  Commodore 

Perry 323 

Fort  Erie  strengthened  by  General  Ripley 329 

Fort  McHenry  bombarded 356 

Fort  Bowyer,  British  repulsed  at 405 

"  Free  Trade  and  Sailors '  Rights, "  motto  of  Essex 333 

French  Revolution,  its  effect  on  American  politics. ...  47 

Frolic,  British  ship,  captured  by  American  Wasp 333 

Frolic  captured  by  Orpheus 339 

Great  Britain  holds  her  posts  in  violation  of  treaty ....  63 

Greenville,  the  prophet  at 117 

&uerriere  captured  by  Hull 333 

Hamilton,  Alexander,  leader  of  the  Federalists 46 

Hamilton,  Alexander,  murdered  by  Aaron  Burr 52 

Harrison,  General  W.  H. ,  invites  Tecumseh  and  the 

prophet  to  a  council  at  Vincennes 119 

Harrison  prepares  to  attack  the  prophet 121 

Harrison  at  Tippecanoe 123 

Harrison  attacked  at  4  o'clock  A.M 124 

Harrison  succeeds  Hull 294 

Harrison,  General,  at  Fort  Meigs 306 

Harrison,  offended  at  General  Armstrong,  the  secretary 

of  war,  resigns 321 

Heald,  Captain,  at  Fort  Dearborn,  notified  of  the  fall 

of  Mackinaw 252 

Heald  attacked  near  Fort  Dearborn  or  Chicago 254 

Heald,  Captain,  and  wife  saved  from  massacre 258 

Helm,  Mrs. ,  saved  by  Black  Partridge 256 

Henry,  John,  gets  admission  to  Madison  by  a  letter 

from  Elbridge  Gerry 273 

Henry  sells  President  Madison  his  papers 278 

Houston's,  Sam,  General,  victory  at  Horse-shoe  Bend. .  325 
Hornet  captures  the  Peacock 338 


HISTORICAL    INDEX.  447 

PAGE 

Hornet  captures  the  Penguin 340 

Hull,  Governor  of  Territory  of  Michigan 24(5 

Hull  in  Washington,  made  Brigadier-General 248 

Hull  invades  Canada ;  retreats 349 

Hull  at  Detroit 250 

Hull  surrenders  Detroit 251 

Hull  convicted  of  cowardice  but  pardoned 252 

Hull,  Captain,  captures  the  Guerriere 333 

Indians,  treaty  with,  for  Ohio  lands.  3 

Indians,  instigated  by  British  to  uprising  115 

Indians  plundering  on  the  Wabash 121 

Indiana  and  Illinois  become  Territories 58 

Inhabitants  of  the  Great  West 13 

Internal  improvements  after  the  war  of  1812 422 

Irish- American  patriotism 262 

Jackson,  General  Andrew,  in  command  in  the  South. .  324 

Jackson  defeats  Creeks  at  Emucfau 325 

Jackson  charging  into  Pensacola 405 

Jackson  at  New  Orleans 406 

Jackson  attacks  the  British  camp 408 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  founder  of  Democratic  party,  moved 

by  French  Revolution 49 

Jefferson  and  Hamilton's  opposing  views  on  French 

Revolution 50 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  elected  President 52 

Jefferson,  description  of  ;  his  policy 54 

Jefferson's  cabinet 55 

Jefferson's  ideas  of  peace  and  war 70 

Johnson,  R.  M. ,  Colonel,  at  the  Thames 318 

Keane,  General,  threatening  New  Orleans 406 

Key,  Mr.  Francis  S. ,  the  poet,  composing  the  "Star 

Spangled  Banner"  while  a  prisoner 856 

King  George  III.  hopelessly  insane ;  Prince  of  Wales 

ruler 247 

Lafayette's,  General,  visit  to  America 424 


448  HISTORICAL    INDEX. 

PAGE 

I^afitte,  Jean,  pirate  of  the  Gulf,  offers  his  services  to 

Jackson 406 

Lake  Erie,  battle  of 306 

Lambert,  General,  retreats  from  New  Orleans 419 

Laulewasikaw,  the  prophet,  Tecumseh's  twin  brother.   116 

Lawrence,  Captain,  death  of 338 

Legislatures  by  concurrent  resolutions  ask  Congress  to 

declare  war 243 

Lewistown,  Delaware,  bombarded 322 

Louisiana  purchased  from  France 58 

Louisiana  admitted  to  the  union 243 

Mackinaw  captured 249 

Macedonian  captured  by  Decatur 337 

Madison,  James,  President ;  his  cabinet 76 

Madison's  political  changes 113 

Madison's  inaugural  address  makes  him  popular 114 

Madison's  message  to  Congress  to  declare  war  against 

Great  Britain 243 

Madison  re-elected  President  of  the  United  States 306 

Madison's  second  inauguration 321 

Madison  and  cabinet  flying  from  Bladensburg 351 

Madison,  Mrs.,  saves  Washington's  picture  and  parch- 
ment of  the  Declaration  of  Independence 352 

Maine  becomes  a  State 422 

Maiden  captured  by  Americans 317 

Marcy,  Wm.  L. ,  captures  first  British  colors 393 

Massacre  at  River  Raisin 304 

Maumee  Rapids,  Harrison  building  Fort  Meigs  at 306 

Measures  taken  to  sustain  the  declaration  of  war 245 

Miller  defeats  Indians 250 

Miller,  Colonel,  at  Lundy's  Lane 328 

Ministers  of  the  Gospel  on  the  frontier 14 

Missouri  Compromise 422 

Monroe,  James,  elected  President  of  United  States. . . .  421 
Monroe  Doctrine . .  424 


HISTORICAL   INDEX.  449 

PAGE 

Nautilus  captured  by  Peacock,  the  last  naval  engage- 
ment of  war 340 

Naval  forces  on  lakes 290 

Napoleon,  influence  of,  on  United  States  gone 421 

New  England  governors  (Caleb  Strong,  William  Plum- 
mer,  and  Roger  Griswold)  refuse  their  militia  to 

serve  the  United  States 271 

New  England  coast  threatened 330 

New  Orleans,  Jackson  at 406 

New  Orleans  under  martial  law 408 

Ohio  valley  opened  up  to  settlers 3 

Ohio  becomes  a  State,  in  1802 59 

Ontario,  naval  force  on 290 

Orpfieus  captured  by  Frolic 339 

Oswego,  New  York,  destroyed  by  British 326 

Packenham,  General,  death  of 415 

Peacock  captures  the  Nautihis,  the  last  naval  engage- 
ment    340 

Peacock  captures  Epervier 339 

Peace  party 264 

Pelican  captures  Argus 339 

People  forcing  the  war  on  the  leaders 242 

Perry's  victory  on  Lake  Erie 306 

Pioneer's  home 7 

Pike,  General,  death  of 322 

Pottawattomies  attack  Americans  near  Chicago 254 

Pirates  of  the  West  Indies 423 

Preparations  for  war  made 130 

President  and  the  Little  Belt 77 

President  captured  by  English  vessels 340 

Prevost,  Sir  George,  repulsed  at  Sackett's  Harbor 323 

Proctor  attacks  General  Winder  at  River  Raisin 302 

Questions  of  wrong  reviewed  in  Madison's  message. . .  243 

Queenstown,  battle  of 282 

Raisin  River,  Americans  at 297 

29 


450  HISTORICAL  INDEX, 

k 

PAGE 

Raisin  River,  Winchester  attacked  at 302 

Rattlesnake  captured  by  a  British  man-of-war 339 

Redoubts  at  New  Orleans 410 

Rial,  General,  defeated  by  General  Scott 327 

Ripley,  General,  in  command  at  Lundy's  Lane,  retreats.  339 

Rodgers,  Commodore,  insulted  by  Little  Belt 77 

Ross,  General,  and  Cockburn,    threaten    Washington 

City 348 

Ross,  General,  death  of 354 

Sackett's  Harbor,  siege  of 290 

Scott,  Winfield,  at  Queenstown 283 

Scott,  General,  at  Lundy's  Lane 328 

Shawnees  under  Tecumseh  roused 115 

Short,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  killed  at  Fort  Stephenson. .  311 

Smythe,  General,  dismissed  from  service 294 

"  Star  Spangled  Banner, "  how  composed 356 

Stephenson,  British  repulsed  at 307 

Stonington,  British  repulsed  at 333 

Strong,  Caleb,  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  refused  to 
allow  militia  of  his  State  to  defend  northern  Ter- 
ritory against  British 271 

Tecumseh  rousing  Indians  to  resistance 115 

Tecumseh  opposing  sale  of  lands 118 

Tecumseh  demands  a  return  of  lands 120 

Tecumseh's  speech  to  Proctor 314 

Tecumseh  and  Proctor  abandon  Maiden 317 

Tecumseh,  death  of 320 

Treaty  with  Indians  for  Ohio  valley  lands 3 

United  States  commerce  a  prey  to  British  cruisers  ...     68 

United  States  offers  to  register  seamen 73 

Van  Home  defeated 249 

Van  Rensselaer,  Stephen,  Brigadier-General  New  York 

militia 281 

"  Victor  and  spoils"  theory  inaugurated  by  Jefferson  in 

1801..  55 


HISTORICAL   INDEX.  451 

PAGE 

Vixen,    United  States  brig,   captured  by   tbe  South- 
ampton    337 

War  declared  by  Congress  244 

War  of  1812  waged  under  difficulties 420 

War  with  Algiers 421 

Washington's  wisdom  and  conservative  policy 50 

Washington,   George,   laying   corner-stone  of  capitol 

building,    1793 52 

Washington  City,  seat  of  government  removed  to. ...       53 

Washington  City,  threatened  by  British 348 

Washington  City,   captured  by  British,  pillaged  and 

capitol  building  burned 352 

Wasp  captures  Frolic  and  is  captured 333 

Wasp  captures  Reindeer,  Avon  and  three  other  prizes 

and  mysteriously  disappears.    339 

Whitney,  Eli,  inventor  cotton  gin 96 

Winder,  General,  trying  to  raise  troops  to  defend  cap- 
itol   348 

Xenophon,  the,  on  the  Maryland  coast 359 

Young  members  in  Congress  who  favor  war  with  Eng- 
land elect  Henry  Clay  speaker 128 

York,  siege  of 322 

Zeal  of  Jefferson  to  aid  French . .  50 


THE 


COLUMBIAN   HISTORICAL   NOVELS. 


A  Complete  History  of  Our  Country,  from  the  Time  of  Columbus 

down  to  the  present  Day,  in  the  form  of  Twelve  Complete 

Stories.     By  JOHN  R.  MUSICK.      Uniform  Size  and 

Style  ;     i2mo,    Cloth,    Illustrated    by  F.   A. 

Carter.      Price,   per  vol.,  $1.50. 


REKDY. 

Vol.         I.     Columbia:     A  Story  of  the  Discovery  of  America. 
Vol.       II.     Estevan  :     A  Story  of  the  Spanish  Conquests. 
Vol.     III.     St.  Augustine :     A  Story  of  the  Huguenots. 
Vol.      IV.     Pocahontas  :     A  Story  of  Virginia. 
Vol.       V.     The  Pilgrims :     A  Story  of  Massachusetts. 
Vol.     VI.     A  Century  Too  Soon:     A  Story  of  Bacon's  Rebellion. 
Vol.    VII.     The  Witch  of  Salem  ;  or,  Credulity  Run  Mad. 
Vol.  VIII.     Braddock  :     A  Story  of  the  French  and  Indian  Wars. 
Vol.     IX.     Independence  :     A  Story  of  the  American  Revolution. 
Vol.       X.     Sustained  Honor :     A  Story  of  the  War  of  1812. 
The  following  to  be  issued  bi-monthly,  beginning 
December   i«;tli.  1893. 

Vol.     XI.     Humbled  Pride  :     A  Story  of  the  Mexican  War. 
Vol.  XII.     Union  :     A  Story  of  the  Great  Rebellion  and  of  Events 
down  to  the  Present  Day. 


The  Historical  Divisions  are :  ist.  Age  of  Discovery  ;  2d. 
Conquest ;  3d.  Bigotry  ;  4th.  Colonization  ;  5th.  Reason  ;  6th. 
Tyranny  ;  7th.  Superstition  ;  8th.  Contention  of  Powers  for 
Supremacy  ;  gth.  Independence  ;  loth.  Liberty  Established  ; 
nth.  Supremacy  Abroad  ;  I2th.  Union. 

Each  volume  about  400  pages,  liberally  illustrated  with  excel- 
lent half-tone  engravings  and  other  illustrations. 


FUNK   &    WAQNALLS   COflPANY,    Publishers, 

18  and  20  Astor  Place,  New  York. 

LONDON:  TORONTO,  CAN.: 

44  Fleet  Street.  u  Richmond  St.,  W. 


A     000  046  248     1 


